Good Samaritan stops armed robbery suspect in Gold Coast

A brazen robbery in the Gold Coast left an elderly couple robbed at gunpoint just after 10 Tuesday morning.

Two suspects are now in custody, all thanks to the quick thinking of a bystander.

"I grabbed him by the waist, he was taller than me and I picked him up and threw him in the bushes. I don't even know how that happened,” said Humerto Maldanado.

Maldanado says he knew something was off when he saw a man running away from police near Bellevue Place and Rush Street. He then jumped into action, tackling the suspect to the ground and holding him there until officers could catch up.

Police say the elderly couple, ages 69 and 70, called 911 shortly after being robbed at gunpoint on East Delaware. Police spotted the suspects and began to chase. Maldanado stopped one of them just a few blocks away on East Bellevue.

Police say one of the suspects dropped a gun right before Maldanado tackled him to the ground.

Maldanado says at the time, he didn't know the person he was attacking just committed an armed robbery.

"That would have changed the way I reacted to the situation, I would like to believe there are my instincts took over reasoning at the time,” he said. "I saw one cop and I saw one criminal and the criminal was outrunning the cop, so I felt the need to jump in and help out." 

Police told FOX 32 they have two people in custody and charges are pending in this case.

Police were able to recover a weapon and the stolen belongings.