A Good Samaritan passerby intervened to stop a brazen thief who had allegedly robbed a woman at an ATM moments earlier.
The mystery woman’s heroic act was captured on CCTV at the Gungahlin Marketplace shopping center in Canberra’s north on Wednesday afternoon.
The alleged thief was caught running down the escalator with a black bag before quickly crossing to go down another escalator.
Suddenly, a woman stopped him in his tracks and grabbed the bag.
A Good Samaritan passerby stopped a suspected thief from getting away with his victim’s money at a Canberra shopping centre.
The pair became involved in a tug of war over the bag when another woman who was apparently chasing him down the escalator ran towards him and grabbed him too.
Several other shoppers then intervened to help the women restrain the man.
The relieved victim got his money back and the man fled the scene.
The police attended and saw images from security cameras that allowed them to identify the alleged criminal.
The man, 54, was arrested shortly before Min Lyneham.
He was charged with robbery, preventing a forensic procedure and two counts of possessing a knife without reasonable excuse.
More charges were expected and the man was due to appear in the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Police said they would like to speak to the woman who stopped the man from fleeing the scene, as well as other witnesses who have not yet come forward.
Anyone with information that could assist police is asked to contact stop crime.
The alleged thief was seen going up an escalator with his alleged victim chasing him