NV: Open Carrier Makes Citizens Arrest on Hit and Run Driver (video)

 Link to image source

On 11 July, an open carrier, Brandon Francis, made a citizens arrest on a hit and run suspect.  Francis had just seen the driver hit a pedestrian and drive away. Francis drove after the suspect, cut him off, then ordered him out of the car at gun point.  It is clear from the video that Francis was open carrying his pistol.  Nevada has always been an open carry state.  In the video, you can see Brandon's holster on his right side.  In interviews with two television stations, he is open carrying. From lasvegasnow.com:

Matthew Shaykin, 31, is facing felony hit and run charges after allegedly hitting a pedestrian near Maverick and Smoke Ranch, but the only thing on everyone's minds today is his takedown.

In the dramatic video taken by a bystander before it was posted to Facebook, Brandon Francis could be seen pulling his gun and making a citizen's arrest of Shaykin. Francis says what you don't see on the video are the moments leading up to the confrontation.

(snip)

Metro police said every situation is different when it comes to citizens arrests, but in this case, the officers on scene determined Francis would not face any charges. Metro Police says the 24-year-old man who was hit suffered multiple broken bones but is recovering from non-life threatening injuries.

Francis said the man's family reached out to him to thank him for his efforts last night.

Link to video

The pistol that Brandon is carrying appears to be either the Taurus 111G2 or 140G2.  The Taurus has recieved some good reviews.  The caliber of the pistol was not mentioned, but it would be a 9mm or a .40 cal.

It is hard to argue with success.  There is not doubt that Brandon successfully stopped the hit and run driver, survived the encounter with the police, and did not get into any legal trouble.  No one was shot, and the hit and run driver's victim's family thanked Brandon.

It is easy to make tactical decision from the comfort of an Internet keyboard hundreds of miles away from the action.  I expect that Brandon will seek additional training.  He seems to be a pro-active kind of guy.

While the hit and run driver had demonstrated that he was an existant threat to the community, another possibility would have been following him while on the phone to police.  Having tried something that once, only to have the irresponsible driver (not a hit and run) speed up, I know it does not always work.  High speed chases in a privately owned vehicle are generally a bad idea.

This is another case of an open carrier using his firearm for the benefit of the community.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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