By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Two young heroes have been lauded for their bravery after chasing down an aggressive purse-snatcher at Lynbrook shopping centre.
Nicholas Axford, 15, and Chysander Sathiyamoorthy, 14, instinctively took chase when they heard a shopper scream in distress on 2 June.
They grappled with the thief – a man seemingly in his twenties – in an attempt to capture him.
Despite Nicholas being punched in the face and threatened with scissors, the Hampton Park Secondary College students did not give up the struggle.
Witnesses Michael Green and Gary Johnstone then helped overpower the man to complete a successful citizen’s arrest.
The four heroes were recognised for their quick actions at a Casey Council meeting on 20 June.
At the presentation, Sergeant Royce Dayton of Cranbourne police said their conduct restored his belief in humanity and goodness in difficult times.
“It immediately caught my heart,” he told the meeting.
Sgt Dayton said the teens – not in superhero costume, but still in their school uniforms – had acted decisively to put something right.
The sergeant had later told this ‘Good Samaritan’ story to his own three sons. “What it shows them is that good still prevails.
“It would have been easy for someone to not do anything … and we completely understand that.
“(In this case) we should get behind this good behaviour and reward it.”
The four received the thanks of Sgt Dayton, Casey Mayor Sam Aziz and the handbag’s owner, Pam Brown.
“How are you? Can I give you both a hug?” Ms Brown said on her reunion with the boys.
When her purse was swiftly grabbed from her, the boys seemed to arrive from nowhere, she recalled.
“It was pretty scary,” Ms Brown said.
“The person who did it was determined not to let it up.”
She was grateful that Nicholas’s injured eye, swollen from the punch, had since recovered.
Nicholas recalled that the situation didn’t feel real. It was like a movie.
“I just ran at him and tried to tackle him, and got punched,” he said.
“He ran away and my other friend gave chase, caught up and got the purse.
“That’s when the other men apprehended him.”
Chysander said he’d told few people about his heroic act. He’d do the same thing if the situation happened again.
“I’ll be more prepared next time.”
