Mother And Son Assist Tulsa Police In Arrest Of Suspected Burglar

By Ashli Sims, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- A close knit Tulsa business community helped stop a suspected burglar in his tracks.

It happened early Friday morning on 15th Street near St. Louis. Police say a man looking to boost a few bottles from a liquor store there found himself staring down the barrel of a citizen's gun.

"Two o'clock in the morning, I got a call at home from a police officer. Officer Woods said my store had been broken into. And I was expecting to see all kinds of mayhem down here," said John Deas, store owner.

But the mayhem was kept at a minimum thanks to his alert neighbors. Sherry Allen manages the Daylight Donut shop next door. She says her crew was just getting cooking, when they heard some loud bangs.

"The noise that we musta been hearing was him breaking into... breaking through the glass into the door and trying to crawl through. So all we saw was legs hanging out," said Shelly Allen, Daylight Donuts Manager.

Police believe the suspect, Andre Knowles, used a rock to smash open the glass door.

Allen yelled at the suspect, told her daughter-in-law to call 911, and that's when her son, Steven, sprung into action.

"See Steven just kinda bulldog him and take him down in the street. And we were able to hold them there until police arrived," said Allen.

And this donut-wielding manager is also a gun-toting citizen.

"I do have conceal and carry, so I held my gun on him," said Allen.

Allen says that really got the suspect's attention -- "'Oh please, don't shoot me, please don't shoot me. I'll be good. I'll stay right here if you let go of me. Please don't shoot me,'" Allen said.

"When we saw the officers come around, he just said, ‘ok the police are here, let me go. The police are here, let me go," said Allen.

When Deas arrived, he was grateful, but not surprised by what his neighbors had done.

"No, because I know her and that's the kind of person she is. She's great. And I'm lucky to have neighbors like her and her husband. And we all kind of look out for each other here," said Deas.

Police booked Andre Knowles, 46, for second-degree burglary. He was convicted for the same crime in 2003 and sentenced to seven years in prison.