San Diego

‘Go Get Him': Good Samaritans Chase and Hold Carjacking Suspect

Berard and Logan chased the carjacking suspect down and held him until officers arrived.

When a suspect pushed past an older man in Horton Plaza and tried to carjack him, two good Samaritans rushed to help the victim.

“I didn’t know what was going on. I just saw the old man get hurt and it just kind of kicked in," said Jay Berard, one of the men who ran to help during the incident Thursday night.

Berard was walking when he saw a car door flailing open in the distance. He wasn't sure what was happening at first, but soon realized it was an attempted robbery. 

Aaron Logan, a concierge at the Sofia Hotel, said he was helping a customer when he heard a loud noise and the screeching of tires.

“My adrenaline kicked in,” said Logan.

He said he sprinted out of the hotel, ran across the road near Broadway and Front Street and stopped just feet away from a car crash.

“They were hanging out the door. Doors were wide open. The driver’s side door was wide open, and they’re doing doughnuts and they’re about to fall out the car," Logan told NBC 7.

Sean McNally, 31, suspected of an attempted carjacking in downtown San Diego, was taken into custody at Harbor Drive and Market Street, with the help of those two men, San Diego police (SDPD) said.

At 10:14 p.m. on the 100 block of West Broadway, the suspect tried to carjack the victim who was standing outside of his SUV. McNally pushed past him and got into his vehicle.

As they struggled, both the victim and the suspect ended up in the driver's seat and started driving away, said police. The vehicle spun wildly across the intersection, hit a tree and then came to a complete halt when it hit a lamp post, according to police.

"I asked the old man, 'Is he trying to jack your car?'" Logan said. "He said, 'Go get him.' So I went and got him."

Once the car stopped, the suspect jumped out of the car and ran away. Logan and Berard chased McNally from Broadway down to Seaport Village. Logan tackled him and then they pinned McNally while waited for authorities. 

San Diego Police Robbery Detectives are investigating this crime. Anyone with information can call police or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

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