Man Hailed as 'Hero' After Tackling Alleged Purse Snatcher at Ohio Supermarket

An Ohio man was lauded as a “hero” and presented with an award by law enforcement on December 16 after chasing down and tackling a suspect who had snatched a purse from an 87-year-old woman shopping in a supermarket.

Surveillance footage released by the Butler County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) showed 27-year-old Deshawn Pressley pursuing the suspect, 58-year-old Derek Vaughn, into a parking lot outside the front of a Kroger grocery store in Lemon Township on December 5. Pressley tackled Vaughn to the ground, threw a few punches, kicked at the alleged thief, and held him until police arrived a few minutes later.

Vaughn was arrested and faced felony charges of theft and robbery, according to the BCSO.

The sheriff’s office said Vaughn snatched a purse from great-grandmother Patricia Goins inside the store and fled out the front door. Pressley, who said he was in the store with his one-year-old daughter and had already made friendly conversation with Goins, heard Goins shout for help and raced after Vaughn.

Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones presented Pressley with a Citizen’s Award on Thursday, December 16, which he accepted alongside Goins.

“I’m glad I helped her, because she’s a wonderful, lovely lady,” Pressley said of Goins. Pressley added that after his mother died when he was young, he was raised by his grandmother, who taught him to “help elderly people in need.”

“This isn’t the last time we will see each other,” Pressley told media during the award ceremony, before Goins added that the pair had arranged a “dinner date.” Credit: Butler County Sheriff’s Office via Storyful