Men tackle robbery suspect
By Lydia Seabol Avant
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, November 2, 2009 at 10:56 p.m.
TUSCALOOSA | A crowd of bystanders helped detain a man after he robbed Modern Loans on Skyland Boulevard East on Monday morning.
Timothy Woodraff Davis, 49, of Tuscaloosa has been charged with first-degree robbery. Davis allegedly went into the loan office at 9:50 a.m. and gave the manager a note demanding money, police said.
Modern Loans manager Ken Shelton said he didn't know immediately that he was being robbed.
'At first, I didn't realize what was going on,' Shelton said. 'I just figured the guy was cold, since he came in with a hood on. But then he handed me a note, saying it was a robbery, pulled out a gun and asked for the money.'
Shelton said he gave the man a small amount of money before the man left the store, running toward the nearby Walmart. Modern Loans is located across the street from Chili's restaurant on Skyland.
A small group of men saw what had happened and tackled the man, said Brent Blankley, public information officer for the Tuscaloosa Police Department.
It is not common for someone to be caught by bystanders, Blankley said.
'A lot of times we'll get phone calls after the fact,' Blankley said. 'We are very appreciative. In this case, they basically caught the robbery suspect.'
Shelton said he is thankful for the presence of the bystanders.
'We are very pleased with the people taking action and doing the right thing,' Shelton said. 'We really appreciate their efforts because without them, he probably wouldn't have been apprehended.'
After the police arrived on scene, Davis was taken into custody and transported to DCH Regional Medical Center for treatment for the minor injuries he received while being detained by the bystanders.
Once released from DCH, Davis will be placed in the Tuscaloosa County Jail with bail set at $40,000.
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