SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – Springfield police are working an active investigation of an apartment break-in that happened Monday morning at the Rosewood Village Apartments.
Three men were involved in the break-in. After the three men broke in to one man’s apartment, they ran away through the complex’s courtyard.
Zack Reynolds is a neighbor of the man who was attacked during the break-in. He said he had just gotten back from a run early in the morning when he suddenly heard a person yelling.
“I hear somebody yelling ‘help, help, help,’ and from there I just took off toward where I heard the screaming coming from,” Reynolds said.
He happened to be in the courtyard when the men were running away. He quickly chased after them. Meanwhile, Reynolds said his neighbor was bleeding and yelling out that he had been assaulted.
Reynolds said he has witnessed car break-ins and other types of theft while living in the area. He said he is now tired of it.
“I’m just tired of people breaking in to cars here. Breaking in to apartments and stealing stuff, Reynolds said. “It’s real bad over here. So first thing I thought was I’m not gonna let this one get away.”
He said it was his gut instinct to run over and help.
“Yelling help, I didn’t really think about it,” Reynolds said. “I’m just more of a help people that ask for it and that was more of me in a panic. You know, I got to stop whatever is happening kind of deal. And when I ran over there my heart was pounding out of my chest.”
He cut two of the men off and then one ran straight into him. Reynolds said the man then threatened to punch him. Moments later the man tried to escape and he then tackled him, later a maintenance employee zip tied him until police arrived.
Everyone was shaken up after it happened, but Reynolds said his neighbor was the most.
“You can only imagine how traumatic that was for him,” he said. “Having three dudes threaten to kill him. He was still in tears when I walked in after catching him. He was still in tears whenever we got there. His mother came in teary eyed. She was happy I helped.”
Police have not released any names or suspect information at this time.
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