A man from Vernon, B.C. is getting a lot of attention on social media after posting a series of selfies with a suspected thief he nabbed in a citizen’s arrest this week.
Kevin Barkhouse, a father of two and a trained Mixed Martial Arts fighter, said he woke up to find his truck ransacked on Monday. Among the missing items: his wallet and a black jacket.
Hours after reporting the crime to police, Barkhouse was driving with his brother when they spotted a man on the street wearing what looked to be his missing coat.
"It was a complete fluke that I looked over and saw this guy on the payphone and he had this black coat with white zippers," Barkhouse told CTV News.
The brothers pulled over and confronted the man, who told them he'd picked up the jacket from Value Village.
They didn't buy the story, and asked if the man would empty out a bag he was carrying. When there was a delay, Barkhouse said he decided to search for himself – and found his wallet inside.
"I just grabbed the bag, reached in and first thing I pulled out was my wallet. I said to my brother, 'Hey, look at my wallet,'" he said.
Barkhouse proceeded to make a citizen's arrest and restrain the man until police arrived.
But before that happened, he asked his brother to hand him his phone so he could show friends how he had found his stolen goods.
"It felt good that I got him. I wasn't trying to gloat. I felt awesome," he said. "The picture was really for me to send to my buddies and my family."
He since received an outpouring of support, along with some criticism.
Though the suspect, a 25-year-old man, is now facing three charges of theft, police don't recommend people try to detain anyone on their own.
Barkhouse agrees with police, but said he acted without thinking.
"I probably shouldn't have done it," he said. "Something bad could've happened but it didn't and I'm living it up now."
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Jonathan Glasgow
