A quick-thinking 17-year-old with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training became an unlikely hero last Thursday evening in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood, using his grappling skills to stop an alleged jewelry thief who targeted a woman through Facebook Marketplace.
The incident unfolded around 6 p.m. near Southeast 14th Street and Brickell Avenue when a woman agreed to meet with someone interested in purchasing her designer bracelets.
According to police, 21-year-old Yagiz Dogan arranged the meeting and asked the woman to remove the jewelry so he could examine it more closely. Instead of completing the transaction, authorities say he grabbed the bracelets and fled the scene.
The woman’s calls for help caught the attention of the teenage good Samaritan, who was nearby. Without hesitation, he pursued the suspect on foot.
“He chased him all the way from over there,” a witness recounted, describing the pursuit that led to a physical confrontation.
The situation escalated when the alleged thief attempted to escape by deploying pepper spray against his pursuer. “And then he was spraying him with pepper spray,” the witness continued.
Despite the chemical deterrent affecting his vision, the teenager managed to take the suspect to the ground and control him using techniques from his martial arts training.
“How dare you. Look at that poor man. Look at his eyes from the pepper spray,” the witness said, noting the teen’s condition.”Even with that, the kid is able to detain him and hold them until we arrived on the scene.”
Police arrived to find the teenager maintaining control of the suspect, who was subsequently taken into custody. Dogan now faces charges of battery and grand theft.
Law enforcement officials praised the young man’s actions while acknowledging the risks involved. “We give them props because what he did as a good Samaritan is worthy of being acknowledged and he did an excellent job,” officers stated.
Investigators believe this may not have been an isolated incident. “It appears that the defendant is targeting individuals through Facebook Marketplace,” police noted, suggesting a pattern of deceptive behavior using the popular online selling platform.
Thief could have used some mount escape lessons
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