Skateboarding is a crimestopper in Santee

Bob Brown was speeding downhill east on Weld Boulevard toward the Gillespie Field Trolley Station on Friday, October 25, when he heard a woman shout in distress.

“Stop, thief!” yelled Maria Sanchez as she pointed toward a young Hispanic male running up the hill. “He stole my bag!”

Brown stomped his feet on the ground for a quick stop and bent down to grab his skateboard. He then threw it toward the running thief, who was clutching a brown handbag.

The flying skateboard caused the thief to trip and drop the open handbag, the contents of which scattered on the road. Several other pedestrians ran to help pick up the belongings as Brown ran to grab his skateboard that was speeding downhill toward the stoplight at the intersection of Cuyamaca Street and Weld Boulevard.

The thief quickly recovered, and before anyone could react, he ran up the hill and around the corner toward Gillespie Way.

As Sanchez gathered her belongings with several bystanders, Brown asked, “Did you get everything back that is yours? My mom once had her purse stolen with a lot of money, so I wanted to make sure that doesn’t happen to you.”

Sanchez thanked Brown and gave him a 20-dollar reward, apologizing to the other onlookers for not having enough to reward them as well.

Sanchez exchanged contact information with the good Samaritans in case the police needed witnesses and then asked around for a cell phone to borrow to call police.