by Timothy Rutt
Here's a day brightener for your morning:
One of our friends and community correspondents said she was out on her porch, about to take the dog for a walk, when a truck pulled in front of her house and a tall man came out and approached her:
He walked in front of his truck onto our front lawn, and he proceeded to walk towards me. I asked him if there was anything I can do to help him. He stopped and then started walking towards me again. I told him that was far enough. I asked him if I could help him. He told me that there was a burglar on the run and that he's looking for him. I ask him if he called the cops. He said, "I am the cops!" I asked him to tell me what the guy was wearing.
The man said he was looking for an African American man with a red shirt, then got in his car and drove the next block up. She continues:
I crossed the street to walk northbond on Fair Oaks towards Altadena Drive, and then I saw a black guy with a red shirt on, hiding in the bushes. When the public transportation bus approached this crook, the guy jumped out of the bushes, began waving his hands feaverishly, running faster than I've seen any guy run in my life to catch a public bus, trying to flag the bus down. The bus stopped and he caught the bus.
Seconds later, I saw the guy who said he was a cop, and I got his attention, as I pointed to the burglar running. The (off-duty cop) pulled around in front of me and I told him what I saw. He pulled out his cb radio and called other cops -- cops came out of the woodwork it seemed! -- and chased the bus down. I believe they caught the guy too!
Thought I'd share. Glad I had the sense of mind to question this off-duty cop about the description, etc. I feel like I helped the community!
We've got a call in to the sheriffs to get more details, but we love citizens who keep their eyes open.
UPDATE: Lt. Michael White of the Altadena Sheriff Station says that Darren Bagby, 34, of Altadena, was arrested on the 3200 block of N. Fair Oaks Ave. White said that Bagby, a parolee known to the local deputies, was spotted by a deputy tugging on a car door as though to open it at about 6 AM this morning. White said that Bagby fled the deputies and was caught running home -- White did not know if Bagby had been taken from the bus.
Bagby was charged with battery on a peace officer, being under the influence of a controlled substance, and resisting arrest.
We've changed the headline to reflect new information.
