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Marine tackles suspected jewelry thief at mall
By SCOTT DAUGHERTY, Staff Writer
May 13, 06
When a shabbily dressed man ran out of a Westfield Annapolis jewelry store followed by an employee screaming for help, Erik McInnis didn't think twice. "Anybody sprinting out of a store like that is guilty until proven innocent," the 39-year-old Marine major said. He immediately left his two children, ages 9 and 2, in the mall's play area and chased Timothy A. Laboard, 40, of Baltimore, through the back corridors of the mall.
Jonathan Neff, another father in the play area, said Maj. McInnis "hurdled the row of seats and hit the ground at an all out sprint behind the thief ... He was through the doors in hot pursuit before anyone else knew what was happening." Maj. McInnis followed Mr. Laboard back into the mall, grabbed his collar, and put him in a rear figure-four choke hold on the ground.
"It was kind of surreal. There I was laying on top of this guy and everyone just kept walking by like nothing had happened," said the Naval Academy math instructor. After a few moments, an off-duty FBI agent walked up and handcuffed Mr. Laboard. Mr. Laboard was charged with theft over $500 after the incident on Monday. Police allege he snatched a $28,000 diamond ring out of a person's hand inside the Helzberg Diamonds. After Mr. Laboard was arrested, police said he pulled the ring from his mouth and handed it over to an officer. "I'm a drug addict and I need help," Mr. Laboard said, according to a police report. Officials at Helzberg Diamonds were not available for comment.
While Maj. McInnis might teach calculus during the day, he's still a Marine. He said he also teaches martial arts at the academy and is the officer representative for the school's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club. That, he said, is where he learned the submission and grappling moves he used at the mall. "I've been teaching the stuff to midshipmen for years. I had a better than average chance to catch him," said Maj. McInnis.
Of course, once he caught Mr. Laboard and found himself lying on top of the man, the major started wondering if he had done the right thing. "I was like 'I really hope he's guilty of something,' " he said, explaining at the time he didn't really know what happened or why he had tackled him. He just knew something bad had happened and he had to help.
When he found out the man was charged with stealing a ring that costs more than his Hyundai though, he was pretty shocked. "I had no idea you could buy a $28,000 ring at the mall," he said. That said, he's not expecting a reward. "As hokey as this sounds, I consider apprehending scum bags to be an unwritten statement in my general job description of being a Marine," he said.
Why is this guy bad ass?
1. He's a marine.
2. He's a caclulus instructor.
3. He's also a martial arts instructor.
4. Oh yeah, he also used his skills to assist a person in need (no, not the calculs skills, allthough he has probably volunteered additional hours to explain the chain rule, newton-raphson's estimation, line integrals...etc).
By SCOTT DAUGHERTY, Staff Writer
May 13, 06
When a shabbily dressed man ran out of a Westfield Annapolis jewelry store followed by an employee screaming for help, Erik McInnis didn't think twice. "Anybody sprinting out of a store like that is guilty until proven innocent," the 39-year-old Marine major said. He immediately left his two children, ages 9 and 2, in the mall's play area and chased Timothy A. Laboard, 40, of Baltimore, through the back corridors of the mall.
Jonathan Neff, another father in the play area, said Maj. McInnis "hurdled the row of seats and hit the ground at an all out sprint behind the thief ... He was through the doors in hot pursuit before anyone else knew what was happening." Maj. McInnis followed Mr. Laboard back into the mall, grabbed his collar, and put him in a rear figure-four choke hold on the ground.
"It was kind of surreal. There I was laying on top of this guy and everyone just kept walking by like nothing had happened," said the Naval Academy math instructor. After a few moments, an off-duty FBI agent walked up and handcuffed Mr. Laboard. Mr. Laboard was charged with theft over $500 after the incident on Monday. Police allege he snatched a $28,000 diamond ring out of a person's hand inside the Helzberg Diamonds. After Mr. Laboard was arrested, police said he pulled the ring from his mouth and handed it over to an officer. "I'm a drug addict and I need help," Mr. Laboard said, according to a police report. Officials at Helzberg Diamonds were not available for comment.
While Maj. McInnis might teach calculus during the day, he's still a Marine. He said he also teaches martial arts at the academy and is the officer representative for the school's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club. That, he said, is where he learned the submission and grappling moves he used at the mall. "I've been teaching the stuff to midshipmen for years. I had a better than average chance to catch him," said Maj. McInnis.
Of course, once he caught Mr. Laboard and found himself lying on top of the man, the major started wondering if he had done the right thing. "I was like 'I really hope he's guilty of something,' " he said, explaining at the time he didn't really know what happened or why he had tackled him. He just knew something bad had happened and he had to help.
When he found out the man was charged with stealing a ring that costs more than his Hyundai though, he was pretty shocked. "I had no idea you could buy a $28,000 ring at the mall," he said. That said, he's not expecting a reward. "As hokey as this sounds, I consider apprehending scum bags to be an unwritten statement in my general job description of being a Marine," he said.
Why is this guy bad ass?
1. He's a marine.
2. He's a caclulus instructor.
3. He's also a martial arts instructor.
4. Oh yeah, he also used his skills to assist a person in need (no, not the calculs skills, allthough he has probably volunteered additional hours to explain the chain rule, newton-raphson's estimation, line integrals...etc).
Just stop calling me "numbers" and stop being all on the offensive side towards me with what i reply.
LMAO, J/K..
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