1 Mugging Draws Instant Response
On Aug. 1, a surveillance video captured a man punching an elderly patron who was dining outside of Rafallo’s Pizza on Hollywood Boulevard, then nabbing the man’s wallet and phone. Within seconds, the attacker was being chased by Tim Ratcliff, owner of the neighboring restaurant Hollywood Shin. It wasn’t long before Ratcliff collared the mugger and pinned him to the ground at the corner of La Brea.
2 Good Samaritan Uses Judo to Subdue Attacker
Ratcliff used “a judo move” — as he said when later narrating the video for YouTube — to keep the struggling thief immobilized for nearly 10 minutes before law enforcement showed up.
“He ruined my glasses. They’re destroyed,” Ratcliff told KTLA. “He was actually trying to bite me a whole bunch of times.”
3 Two Bystanders Praised for Aid
Social media praised the restaurant owner’s quick and thorough takedown. They were also impressed by two female bystanders who came to his aid. During the melee, the victim’s wallet went flying, and cash flew out of Ratcliff’s pockets. The women—one being Ratcliff’s girlfriend—gathered them up and stood by to return them to their rightful owners. One of the duo even helped keep the attacker subdued by standing on his legs and kicking him.
NBC Los Angeles reported that the suspect was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault and robbery, and the condition of the victim was unclear.
4 Social Media Approves
“I love seeing justice served,” Instagram user shanbourland wrote.
“The lady made me laugh. She wanted to deliver extra justice. We like that,” said Reddit user goatishrust.
“That move is a judo hold called Kesa Gatame I believe,” said Reddit user Allwaythornton. “I learned it and some other basic Judo in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as well … Either way, big guy like that doing that hold, the skinny guy has basically no chance.”
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5 “I Felt Like I Had Worked Out The Next Day”
“I was not gonna lie, the adrenaline was a lot at that point, and afterwards it was exhausting,” Ratcliff told Fox News. “It felt like I had worked out the next day for quite a bit.”
But he said he would do it again. “I’m tired of things happening that shouldn’t happen, and the easiest thing I can say is there’s more of us than there are of them. If we team up, then it’s going to be fine,” said Ratcliff.