Call police, or get involved? Residents not so sure

Chasing after a criminal might seem like a noble idea, but many residents say the mayor should have thought twice before starting a foot chase with a drug dealer.

Thunder Bay Mayor Keith Hobbs recently told local reports that he tried to stop a drug deal in progress at a local shopping mall. The former police officer turned mayor said he saw what he believed was a drug deal going down at Victoriaville Mall and chased after the suspected dealer.

That suspect was able to get away from the mayor.

“He took off,” Hobbs told reporters on Thursday. “Substance abuse is just prevalent (in Thunder Bay).”

Most people who spoke with tbnewswatch.com on Sunday said the mayor’s actions were commendable, but probably ill conceived.

Stella Cathercole had a similar experience a few years ago when she chased someone who stole from a friend’s kiosk. She chased after the thief but wasn’t able to catch up.  

Looking back, she admitted that she probably wouldn’t have known what to do with the suspect if she did end up catching him.

“(The police) tell everyone else not to do it because it is dangerous,” Cathercole said.
 
Cathercole’s husband, Cam, said chasing after drug dealers must be second nature the mayor because of his previous training as a police officer.

“It was probably not the smartest thing to do, but I guess he worked on instinct,” Cam said. “Good for him I guess but I wouldn’t have done it.”

He said if he was in the same situation he would have probably called the police or mall security.

But not everyone thinks the mayor’s chase was a bad idea.

Dylan Bailey said he thought Hobbs did the right thing by confronting the suspects.

“It’s good to have a mayor who is not shy to make a bold move like that,” Bailey said. “If I saw that I would have probably ignored it. I wouldn’t intervene but I would probably call the police.”