December 6, 1996
Two brave staff members from the Department of Athletics took to the streets in pursuit of a thief recently and made a citizen"s arrest.
Shortly before 5 pm on Friday, November 22, Eyal Baruch and Angelo Battista, both employees in the department's Facilities Office, chased down the would-be thief. The suspect had literally bumped into Baruch as he ran through the campus recreation area. There had been a number of thefts in the department, and the man aroused Baruch's suspicions when he claimed that his locker had just been broken into and that he was trying to catch the thief.
He then fled outside, headed down Aylmer Street, went east on Prince Arthur and turned north on Durocher Street, where he jumped into a taxi. Hot on his trail, McGill's dynamic duo of Baruch and Battista stood in the middle of the street, forcing the cab driver to stop. As the driver got out of his taxi to see what the problem was, Baruch struggled with the man in the back seat.
The suspect escaped Baruch's grasp and jumped into the driver's seat in an attempt to drive off, but Battista pulled the thief out of the taxi before he could make his getaway.
Less civic-minded than our two McGill heroes, the cab driver then demanded $3 for the fare. Reluctantly, Baruch handed over a loonie and a twonie, and he and Battista started to escort the suspect back to the Currie Gym. The man made one last-ditch effort to flee, heading east on Pine Avenue. He was slowed down, albeit by a missed tackle, by McGill Redmen defensive end Randy Chevrier who happened to be in the area. Baruch (now out of breath and suffering from a pulled hamstring), finally ran down the suspect and handcuffed him with a recently-purchased pair of manacles.
The tired trio made their way back to the gym where the police were called and an official arrest was made. The thief, who had a significant amount of cash and a number of stolen credit cards in his possession, is in custody and faces charges pending a hearing.
Source: Earl Zukerman, editor of The Mini-Bugle, newsletter of the Department of Athletics.