A Scripps Ranch woman did just about everything possible to stop a thief stealing an American flag from her home -- and she has the cuts and bruises to prove it.
The huge flag is still missing Thursday, but the good news is that Debby Curran will recover from her injuries.
The theft occurred at about 3 a.m. on Tuesday. Curran said on Thursday that she reacted instinctively and went after the thief while her husband slept.
"She's angry," said her husband, Tim Curran. "She's angry about this. She's very passionate about that flag."
Tim said Debby chased the thief after he got into his getaway SUV.
"She was yelling at him, 'Stop, give us the flag back!' And he stepped on the gas -- he took off and she was thrown to the street pretty hard."
This all took place while Tim was sound asleep. You can imagine his reaction when Debby woke him up.
"I said, 'What?' " Tim said. "And I could see the scrapes on her side, her leg and her ankle, bleeding. And I said, 'What happened to you?' "
So you may wonder: Why did Debbie take such a risk going after the thief? Well, the flag has quite a story. Every Fourth of July, the Currans hang the flag outside their home, which is along the route of the annual Scripps Ranch Parade. The flag was a gift from the command master chief of the now- decommissioned USS Sterett and flew on the ship during a mission to Haiti.
"It was an extra show of force, but it showed United States presence, and it was absolutely beautiful as the ship had enough wind on the flag for it to continue to fan out," Tim said.
There's one more twist to this story: Tim is a longtime veterans of the sheriff's department.
"There's a part of me that's furious, but there's part of me that could not be more prouder," Tim said. "She's a very passionate person, and that flag means as much to her as it does to me."
The suspect is described as a 6-foot tall, 18-to 20-year-old man with a dark complexion. He drove off in a Dodge Durango SUV that is possibly silver- or champagne-colored.
Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward.
