Teenage heroine catches escapee

Inslington, St Mary:

When 18-year-old Sherise Walker saw cops and residents chasing a man as she passed by the Islington Police Station in St Mary on Ash Wednesday, she didn’t think twice before alighting from the moving vehicle and summoned her athletic prowess to nab the escapee.

Chary Johnson, who was driving the vehicle in which Sherise was travelling, told The Gleaner that as soon as they saw the noisy crowd, they knew something was amiss.

“Sherise was kinda excited and wanted for us to stop to see what was happening,” Johnson recounted.

While in the process of pulling over, they noticed a man trying valiantly to make good his escape at the intersection leading to Islington.

Sherise recognised the fellow, having seen him enter the police station a few hours earlier.

“I first saw him at the station when he was probably being arrested earlier in the day,” she said.

The teen told The Gleaner that she then sprang into action, joking that her early-morning jogs had finally paid off.

“So when I saw the crowd and the police giving chase, I instantly recognised him as the man I had seen at about 3 p.m. in the day. I jumped out of the vehicle driven by Johnson before it stopped and gave chase,” she said.

Johnson said that he, too, joined the chase after parking the vehicle.

“She managed to reach the escapee and it was then that I also gave chase. Sherise and I ran after the man and soon we managed to catch him and took hold of one of his arm,” he told The Gleaner yesterday.

“It was kinda strange as Sherise was the one who really led the charge while I followed. I wasn’t scared in anyway because I realised that the man must have done something wrong and that was the reason he was arrested in the first place,” added Johnson.

Sherise, who is being hailed as a heroine, said that although she didn’t know the specific circumstance leading to the chase, she had no regrets doing her part.

“I’m still not too clear as to what took place. I only know that we both held on to him and handed him over to the police. If I had to do it all over again, I would do the same thing, “ she added.

“The police commended us on our act of bravery and even the people and the community at large have lauded us. I guess we were just assisting the community and the police,” she concluded.

Contacted by The Gleaner, Bobette Morgan, who heads the St Mary Police Division, said that while she was not privy to the details, any such actions on the part of individuals in assisting the police are commendable and greatly appreciated.

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