Alleged thief caught and held by residents of Guildford in Western Sydney
A group of Western Sydney residents have made a citizen’s arrest of an alleged thief, who tried to run off but fell into a backyard pool — twice.
The Guildford residents said they spotted the man in their neighbourhood — which has been a recent target for thieves — on Wednesday night.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Sydney community bands together to catch thieves.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The residents told 7NEWS thieves have been targeting their cars and homes, and they saw the man on Rosebery St allegedly holding a bag of stolen items.
“I heard some noise, went outside,” one resident told 7NEWS on Thursday.
“I saw people grabbing some guy saying ‘What did you steal?’.”
CCTV footage from a nearby home caught the moment the 42-year-old man was confronted.
“Why did you steal?” a resident asked the man.
“Tell me why you steal.
“If you’re not a f****** thief, what is that? Did you f****** pay for it?”
The man ran from the group as they called NSW Police, but he didn’t go very far.
Also captured on CCTV is the moment — or two moments — the man fell into a resident’s pool.
He can be seen in the footage getting out of the pool before falling back in.
Yousif Almandalawi was eventually apprehended by police and appeared in court on Thursday.
He was refused bail and the court heard he was handed a community corrections order last week for similar offences.
Residents hope the incident is a warning to would-be-criminals looking to target the area.
“For you who steal, just remember — Guildford’s not the way to go,” a resident said.
