A San Francisco woman took crime fighting into her own hands this week when she doused a potential thief with bear spray and delivered him into the handcuffs of police while live-tweeting the whole incident. Photographer Sonya Yu began tweeting about the intruder Tuesday morning, saying that the suspect had been plaguing the neighborhood with thefts of deliveries.
"He's the one that's been rampantly stealing packages in our neighborhood. I put out a bait package today & will be quietly working," she tweeted.
"My bear spray, bokken, & I are still not intimidated," Yu tweeted. "He's back & strong apparently. We keep bear spray by the door, so my plan is spray, call 911, & mutilate his junk."
A bokken is a wooden sword that was used to train Japanese samurai warriors.
When she saw the suspect approach her house Tuesday afternoon, Yu said she grabbed a can of "bear spray," a powerful pepper-spray like substance, and went out on her balcony, dousing the alleged thief.
He had a knife but did not attack her, she said.
The man fled from Yu's home, but she called police and went after him, according to her Twitter feed.
"He escaped, but not far. The bear spray debilitated him & painted him orange so other cops picked him up within 5 minutes. GOT HIM!" she wrote.
San Francisco police said that the suspect, later identified as Andy Anduha, 51, walked through a gated entry and onto Yu's front porch where he began inspecting a package. Though they would not confirm Yu's name, police said the victim saw Anduha attempting to steal the package, hit him with the bear spray, and then went after him when he fled.
"The police were called and officers were in the area of the incident, and they located the suspect in the next street over suffering from bear spray to the face," Officer Albie Esparza said today.
Yu said in her tweets that she went to meet the police after the arrest and drove with them to identify Anduha.
Anduha was later booked and charged with attempted burglary and outstanding warrants for traffic violations, Esparza said.
Yu declined to answer any questions about the incident because of the ongoing police investigation.
Yu said in her messages that she was happy she had caught the alleged thief and that she had bear spray on hand, though the residual spray had burned even her skin.
"In related news, I hope none of you ever gets bear sprayed cuz (sic) even this back-spray BURNS," she said. "Tho (sic) imagining how bad he's suffering (considering I emptied half a canister of bear spray onto him) makes me feel better."
She then tweeted that she would move onto her next task of the day: "Now onto making a dinner of blowtorch prime rib roast & fried brussels (sic) sprouts for friends tonight. All in a day's work," she wrote.
Esparza, of the San Francisco police, said that the department had been trying to catch a thief who had been stealing packages throughout the area. But they recommended members of the public not to follow Yu's example in taking justice into their own hands.
"The department does not suggest victims go after any suspects because you never know if they're armed, and they could potentially hurt someone by going after them," Esparza said.
Poster Comment:
"My bear spray, bokken, & I are still not intimidated," Yu tweeted. "He's back & strong apparently. We keep bear spray by the door, so my plan is spray, call 911, & mutilate his junk."
Probably best for the accused thief police showed up. I think she would have taken it further.
