Authorities said Monday Residents of a Colorado neighborhood decided to take justice into their own hands and chased down a man they believed to have committed sexual crimes against children, according to the Associated Press. They proceeded to throw rocks at the alleged sex offender.
According to the Pueblo Chieftain, Pueblo police later let the man go for lack of evidence.
According to one of the chasers, Alex Pacheco, residents had been searching for a man who had allegedly committed two separate crimes when they learned a man fitting the description of the suspected offender had been located.
Police Capt. Tom Rummel said the chasers engulfed the man and punched him in his face. After arriving on the scene officers shoved him in a police car and took him in for questioning. The man did not suffer serious injuries.
One of the incidents the man was accused of involved a sexual attack of a girl in her own home.
As more residents learned of the chase, they joined in the hunt for the suspected perpetrator.
“We went through the right channels in contacting the police but there hasn’t been much response,” Pacheco said. “We can’t wait around any longer without doing something. These are children that this man is after and we can’t let any more children get hurt by him.”
According to Rummel, law enforcement told the local press about the attacks and even posted information on social media websites. However, since no arrest was made, the police department is not required by law to notify residents. Also, the police didn’t have a specific description of the suspect since he was wearing a bandanna on his face.
The 54-year old accused maan did not file any charges against the residents.
“He said folks were reacting to a bad situation and he told the officer, ‘I don’t want to go that route,’” Rummel said. “He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
The man’s name was not released. He will cooperate with police and give a DNA sample to be ruled out as a suspect in the attacks.
