Heidi Muat: Roller Derby Girl Chases Down And Catches Purse Snatcher, Tells Him ‘I Can Outrun You, Give Up’
Heidi Muat is apparently the wrong person to commit a crime around.
The 42-year-old Spokane resident was at a grocery store when she saw a man with a purse that didn’t look like it belonged to him. Muat, who is a skater with the Spokannibals Roller Derby team, sprang into action.
“I had no idea what was going on but I thought, ‘He needs to be chased because that doesn’t look like his purse,'” Muat, who goes by the name Ida B. ChoAzz on the roller derby rink, told Spokane’s KXLY-4. “I just flung my sunglasses and everything and started running after him.”
Muat had plenty of confidence that she would catch up with the suspect.
“He looked and saw he had nowhere to go other than running, and I said, ‘I can outrun you. Give it up,'” she said. “And he just looked at me and tossed the purse.”
The suspect got away, but as the New York Daily News explained, he wasn’t on the loose for long.
“Spokane police arrested Ronald Warner, 36, last Wednesday within 24 hours of learning about the crime after Muat alerted a friend in the force, Officer Teresa Fuller told the Daily News.
“Warner was charged with three counts of possession of stolen property and also had a felony warrant out for his arrest in Missouri for child abuse, Fuller said.”
Muat has plenty of experience chasing people down. The Spokannibals are described as “an all-female, full-contact, flat-track roller derby league.”
“We pride ourselves in excellent sportswomanship, strong teamwork, and bad*** athleticism. We strive to be role models for women of all ages in our community,” the team noted on its website.
The purse belonged to local resident Bill Erwin’s wife. Erwin said the mugging happened so quickly they didn’t have time to respond.
“We decided to get some ice cream, so I left my wife and the cart and was walking down to the ice cream aisle and I heard my wife scream, ‘He’s got my purse!'” Erwin told KXLY-4.
The couple said Heather Muat is a hero for her quick thinking and quick work tracking down the criminal.
“I would describe her as a hero,” Officer Teresa Fuller told the New York Daily News. “It took a lot of courage to chase after the guy.”
Heidi Muat won’t have much time to revel in her heroic act. The Spokannibals will be back on the track later this week for a roller derby tournament.
[Image via KXLY screenshot]