A Florida girl is hailed as a hero by police after she chased down a thief who stole her mother’s purse and attacked him.
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On November 2, Journey Nelson and her mother Danielle Mobley were grocery shopping in West Palm Beach when 29-year-old Demetrius Jackson approached them and stole the woman’s purse. Surveillance footage showed the moment when Jackson tackled Nelson’s mother to the ground while trying to steal her purse and Journey ran over to defend her mother. She was seen in the footage punching him repeatedly until Jackson fled from the scene.
Shortly afterward, Journey chased him down for five blocks. “I fought back. I had to save my mom,” Journey said during a press conference on Thursday.
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Mobley said she didn’t expect her daughter to chase after the thief: “That is when I let it go and figured he would take off. I wasn’t expecting her to take off after him.” Jackson was arrested two days after and charged with robbery and battery.
Journey awarded a “certificate of bravery” for helping her mother although she was told by Chief Frank Adderley that it wasn’t highly recommended.
“I wouldn’t recommend that you confront an individual like that, but in the heat of the moment, things happen. I bet he was shocked when she kicked him right in the face because he definitely could tell on the video that he was not expecting that. And her actions were perfect timing in this particular situation, and I think she hit him pretty hard.”
SOURCE: Insider