Good Samaritan stops would-be thief, holds him for Southfield police

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - Welcome to Charlton Square a small street in front of the Cross Road Apartments in Southfield, right off I-696.

"You’re right off the highway. so if you want to steal a car or anything, you can be out of here in seconds," said Tony Brax.0

That might have been what a would-be thief was thinking — before he was caught by a resident.

This good Samaritan saw a guy crouched down, trying to steal some tires. He asked 'Is this your car?' The guy says no. He then asked ‘Are you trying to steal those wheels?’ And the guy said 'Yes.'

After that, the good Samaritan held him down until police arrived.

Police say that suspect is 18-year-old Eric Greenwell, now charged with vehicle larceny.

"If he has enough honesty to say he’s stealing, he has enough honesty to turn himself around," Knox said.

"I think that’s really dumb and he should be in jail," said resident Mia Hogan. "You're going to say you’re stealing a car? No. I think it’s dumb."

Hogan says she’s worried about the security on Charlton Square — she says thieves stole her car that was parked there last month.

"What if I was walking out to go to work that day and they were stealing my car?" she said. "Anything could have happened. Like that man who caught the other person taking something, i don’t know what could’ve happened."

"As a complex in our office we need more security, more lights and cameras to fend off attackers. this area is kind of an easy target," Brax said.

FOX 2 brought these residents' concerns to the management office — they forwarded them to their corporate office — which has not responded yet.

Large photo: Cross Road Apartments. Inset: Suspect Eric Greenwell