Watch: Clintonville man holds suspected thief at gunpoint until police

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A Clintonville resident thwarted an attempted theft right outside of his home, and video surveillance captured the moment early Sunday.

According to a social media post by Corey Taylor, he and a witness alerted police that individuals had broken into his truck by shattering a window shortly after 5 a.m. The truck was parked in front of Taylor’s residence on Kelso Road.

While waiting for the police, Taylor decided to take matters into his own hands and approached the suspects, with a firearm in hand. One of the suspects, who was inside the truck, attempted to flee but immediately went down to the ground upon seeing Taylor and the gun.

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“I knew once they saw the cop car [that] they’re probably going to run,” Taylor said. “At that point, I didn’t know how long [the police] were going to get here. By that time they could have been long gone.”

The second suspect, who was seen casing vehicles across the street, can last be seen in the video behind a car across the street before disappearing out of the camera’s view.

Court documents state that police arrived seconds later and observed Taylor holding 26-year-old Zachariah Johnson at gunpoint along the sidewalk where the truck was parked. An officer apprehended Johnson, and police said he told them that he was attempting to steal items for extra money.

Taylor held his hands up in the air and backed away before walking back toward his residence.

“[The officer] looked at the back of my truck, and I have my Marine Corps veteran sticker on there. He ended up being an Army vet, so he was like, “Man, this really helps us.” You know you got to police your own area,” Taylor said.

Among the items recovered were tools, binoculars and other hunting equipment valued at about $1,300. There were also two bags of items not belonging to Taylor, who said he’s been able to locate other victims who had items stolen.

“I never would have intended on hurting anyone but we’ve had issues with people breaking in cars,” Taylor said. “It’s been an ongoing thing and I just want our neighborhood to be safe.”

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Johnson is charged with theft and was issued a $1,500 bond in Franklin County Municipal Court.

Though the incident ended with no one hurt and the victim able to retrieve his belongings, Sgt. Joe Albert cautioned that taking matters into your own hands is dangerous.

“We would recommend not confronting suspects because you do not know if they have a weapon or not,” Albert said. “Instead, call 911 and be as very descriptive as you can be with regards to the suspect’s identity and direction they go if they leave before police arrive.”

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