'This could be my mama': Witness chases down gunman who robbed woman

ATLANTA — A good Samaritan told Channel 2 Action News he didn't hesitate to chase down an armed thief who had just used force to snatch the purse off a 50-year-old woman.

Rashid Yorke said he and a friend were driving on 17th Street in Atlantic Station on Wednesday afternoon when he saw the robbery happen.

“The first thing I thought about, ‘This could be my mama, this could be my sister,’ you know what I’m saying. Women are supposed to be protected,” Yorke said. “My first split second (decision) was, 'Let's help this woman.'”

Yorke said he drove down 17th Street and followed the thief as he ran up Spring Street.

“That’s when I decided to jump out and just try catch up to him,” Yorke said.

From there, police said the robber ran inside a construction site but the workers were suspicious. Police said that’s when the robber pulled a gun on the workers.

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Police said moments later, one of the workers, who also had a gun, pulled the weapon on the robber.

Officials said the thief then took off on Spring Street, where Yorke was waiting for him. While on the phone with police, Yorke chased the man down an alley until they got to a dead end.

“He actually jumps over the embankment, which is, like, maybe a 2 to 3-foot drop onto the highway,” Yorke said.

Atlanta police said the robber left behind a gun, marijuana, two knives, his own ID and the woman's purse.

“She was very hysterical, she was crying. She was like, ‘Thank you for helping me out,’” Yorke said.

Th thief is described as being in his 20s and was last seen wearing a yellow shirt and gray pants.

A police spokesperson said officers have not yet made an arrest.

Cox Media Group