News Headlines

"Superhero" Neighbor Knocks Burglar Unconscious

Posted: $util.date("h:mm a MMM d, yyyy",$story.contentLiveDate,$timeZone)
Reporter: Shannon Houser

"Super Hero" Stops Burglar In Neighbors Home

Two men tried to break into a South Seventh Street Marietta home on Sunday night. One was stopped, but not by the police.

"We ended up seeing them through the window, and I went around to the other side and saw them rip the Playstation from the TV center." James Turner didn't look the other way. He fought back, and police say the suspect, Sean Whittekind didn't make it far.

"I didn't want to go in thinking maybe they had a weapon then they came outside and I shined the flashlight in their face and they jumped off the porch and ran and by that time I knew they were running for good and I ran after them," Turner says.

He adds that he was just trying to catch a glimpse of the thieves. He says he never expected to actually catch one of them.

"I just jumped on his back and I put him in sleeper hold and leaned back until he was snoring and I was yelling to my girlfriend...'is he asleep? Is he asleep?' And then I chucked him off of me and I ran off for the other guy through the field. There was nothing to it," Turner describes.

But there must've been something to it. Turner stopped Whittekind right in his tracks.

"The officers found Sean Whittekind laying on the ground in a semi-unconscious state. Through investigation we found that he and another subject attempted to break in the house," Marietta Police Department Cpt. Jeff Waite explains.

Now neighbors are hailing Turner's heroic actions, who's staying pretty humble through it all.

"James is a great guy. He straight choked that guy out. Good dude. Glad to have him around," says neighbor Timothy Constable.

"Everybody's been calling me a superhero and stuff and I just said man that's crazy to me. Anybody else would have done the same thing. At least I hope they would," Turner adds.

Seam Whittekind is behind bars charged with felony burglary. The other suspect hasn't been identified and remains on the loose.