BEAVERTON, Ore. – A man was arrested for robbing a video lottery winner in Beaverton, Oregon on Saturday, according to police.
Police responded to Shari’s restaurant regarding a theft suspect who was being held down by citizens around 2:20 p.m.
KPTV spoke with the customer who said he tackled the suspect, all because his wife, told him to.
“I was on his back, had him in a chokehold, my brother had one arm and my dad fishing buddy had the other, he couldn’t move,” Martin Vantubergen said
Vantubergen said he’s glad he could take down, the wanna-be lotto looter, Christopher James, 34.
“He didn’t have a chance to put much of a fight up,” he said.
Vantubergen and much of his family had just sat down at the Shari’s off Murray Boulevard.
“My family had a memorial service for my stepmother, after the service we decided to come here to continue visiting and have something to eat.”
But instead of food, he said they witnessed a fight.
“The victim was about 67 years old,” he said.
Witnesses told police that the suspect tried to rob a victim that had just won money playing a video lottery at the restaurant.
“When he got to the crosswalk the other guy followed him out, and hit him in the back of the head, grabbed the bag of money and started to run off.”
James tried to run from the scene on a bike.
Vantubergen said his wife saw the attack and told him to help.
“As soon as my wife said go get him, I went. If she says okay, it’s okay, haha.”
Once he got the all-clear, Vantubergen ran outside, tackled the suspect, put him in a chokehold and waited for police.
“He tried to get us to let him go, claimed he was just trying to get home. Told him that wasn’t an excuse,” he told KPTV.
The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to police and officers were able to recover all of the victim’s money.
After a thank you from the lotto winner and police, Vantubergen went back inside, for a much-deserved bite to eat.
“You always kinda think about what you would do when something like that would happen, and I’m just glad I reacted.”
James was taken to jail and charged with one count of third-degree robbery.
