By Karen Fernau
GCU News Bureau
A learner in the College of Doctoral Studies at Grand Canyon University is credited with wrestling an accused robber to the ground in Baltimore and holding him until police arrived.
Mark Bailey, a funeral home director working toward his Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership, said he was on the phone last week with an employee of a nearby pharmacy when the employee told him they were being robbed.
As police were called, Bailey, a former 12-year veteran of the Maryland State Police and officer in the U.S. Army Reserve, jumped into his car and raced to the pharmacy.
“I wanted to be able to get a good description of the suspect for the police,” he said.
Instead, Bailey’s crime-fighting instincts kicked in. He said he left his car and chased down the fleeing suspect.
“I took him to the ground, and all the prescription pills and money fell out of his pockets,” Bailey said.
The two continued fighting when the suspect pulled out a pistol.
“He points it at me, and I hit the gun so hard it flew out of his hands,” he said.
The accused robber again took off running with Bailey, 42, in close pursuit. The two fought for four to five minutes before he subdued the suspect and police arrived.
Bailey said his Good Samaritan act was calculated, not impulsive.
“I don’t recommend it for everyone,” he said, “but I’ve had extensive ground-fighting experience.”
Police later determined the pistol was a pellet gun. The suspect, Robert Richther, faces charges that include aggravated assault.
Bailey, owner of Bailey Funeral Home in Halethorpe, Md., expects to complete his doctoral dissertation later this year.
Contact Karen Fernau at (602) 639-8344 or [email protected].
