A man who rushed to help a woman robbed at a Walmart is being called a hero and a big thanks may go to his wife.
The incident happened at a Walmart in Gwinnett County on Jimmy Carter Boulevard. The man said he heard a woman's high-pitched scream for help, then his wife said, "go get him."
"It was just my natural reaction to try to help, especially a woman yelling like that," said Kenneth Jenkins.
Jenkins took off after the man, John Simmonds, who Gwinnett County police say ran out of the Walmart and jumped into a black BMW.
"I tried to open the car door to get him out the car and he pulled out, backed up and almost hit me with the car," Jenkins said.
Another man trying to help followed Jenkins and the two were able to get the car's tag number.
"Placed a look out over our police radio and eventually one of our officers in a nearby location spotted that vehicle near Indian Trail and Willow Trail Parkway," said Gwinnett Cpl. Michele Pihera.
Jenkins and the other man identified Simmonds as the thief. The victim told police she thought Simmonds had been following her in the store.
Shopper Jasmin Brathwait, who typically leaves her purse sitting in her cart, told Channel 2 Action News she was glad to hear about the arrest. She's also relieved that people jumped in to help.
"There are bad people and there's good people but we have to watch each other's back," Brathwait said.
Police were able to get the victim's stolen purse back but not everything inside of it.
Police say Simmonds had been arrested a dozen times through the Gwinnett Sheriff's Department and is currently being held on a charge in Lilburn.
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