A Domino’s delivery man did more than hand off a couple of pizzas during a run in the last week of March. Alou Bathily, who arrived in the United States about two months ago from West Africa, was in the middle of fulfilling an order around 6 p.m. on New York City’s Upper West Side on March 29 when he spotted a police chase in progress.
Authorities were in pursuit of a man they believed was part of a group of six people who, about an hour earlier, were seen pulling a woman’s hair and stealing her headphones. When the officers spotted the suspect and told him to stop, he started running.
Realizing the accused thief was about to get away from the cops, CBS 2 News reports that 21-year-old Bathily pursued the man on his bike. The individual, who was later identified as a 17-year-old boy, then tried to escape again, but Bathily tackled him to the ground and sat on him until the police officers caught up.
“I told myself I’m gonna help the policeman to arrest the guy, to stop the guy,” the fast-food employee said of his heroic actions.
As it turns out, the minor was guilty of much more than swiping a pair of headphones. In the midst of the chase, the law enforcement officials noticed he was emptying his pockets which, unbeknownst to them at the time, were filled with counterfeit $50 bills. According to a Facebook post from the NYPD’s 20th precinct, the criminal had allegedly been using the fake cash to purchase items and then exchange them for real money.
The teen has been charged with robbery, forgery, petty larceny and trademark counterfeiting.
Despite the worthwhile distraction, Bathily, still managed to honor Domino’s “delivery in 30 minutes or less or it’s free” policy. As the Facebook post from the 20th precinct noted, “We’re told the pizza guy still managed to honor the 30 minute delivery guarantee on the pie.”
Not surprisingly, Bathily was also commended for facilitating the arrest. He recalled: “The policeman say to me … just ‘thank you.’”
