Illinois Judge, 44, Chases and Captures 21-Year-Old Suspect
Known for his harsh sentences, a Cook County, Ill., judge proved yesterday that it isn’t just on the bench that he can be a tough guy.
After spotting two men going through the contents of his wife’s car at about 9:45 p.m. last night, Circuit Judge Nicholas Ford shouted at them, sending both running in opposite directions, reports the Chicago Tribune. He chased one, catching up with the 21-year-old man and tackling him a few blocks later,
“I had him down on the ground, saying, ‘I’m a judge! Just lay down, we’re going to wait for the police,’ ” the 44-year-old judge tells the newspaper. The suspect broke away, however, and the judge gave chase again, shouting to neighbors to call police. He captured the man a second time, with the help of nearby residents, a few blocks farther on, and held him for authorities, the newspaper recounts.
Meanwhile, responding officers had captured the other suspect, who is 23, as he ran away in the other direction.
The Tribune doesn’t identify either suspect in a breaking news brief but says that unspecified charges are pending against both.
Today his voice is hoarse, his neck hurts and one hand is swollen, but he is otherwise all right, Ford says. His wife, who is also a Cook County judge, discovered several items missing from her car after the fracas.
