Arizona man, 26, dumps a woman out of her wheelchair on a train and attempts to steal it before heroic passengers come to her rescue
- Austin Shurbutt, 26, is seen robbing a woman of her wheelchair in Phoenix
- The woman tries to hold on but eventually gets dumped out of her wheelchair and the suspect takes off with it Arizona
- Police said he was wearing reindeer slippers during the incident on the light rail
- He was arrested Saturday, more than a week after the incident last Friday, following the release of the footage where cops asked the public for help
Police in Arizona have arrested a criminal who tried to rob a woman of her wheelchair by tipping her out of the seat while on board a train.
As the light rail in Phoenix pulled into the station at 12th street and Jefferson, Austin Shurbutt, 26, was seen grabbing the chair from beneath her.
Video shows the woman try to hold on but eventually she gets dumped out of her wheelchair and the suspect takes off with it.
Austin Shurbutt, 26, is seen robbing a woman of her wheelchair in Phoenix, Arizona (left) last Friday. He was arrested more than a week later on Saturday (right)
Police said he was wearing reindeer slippers during he incident the day after Thanksgiving
A clip released by cops in Phoenix shows him then hotfooting it off the light rail in reindeer slippers during the incident from last Friday.
However he didn’t get far with it as Good Samaritans came to the rescue and got the wheelchair back from Shurbutt.
Others on the train are seen stepping in to stop him in the footage from the incident which took place around 3.40pm on Black Friday.
As the light rail in pulled into the station at 12th street and Jefferson (left), Shurbutt was seen grabbing the chair (right)
The woman tries to hold on to railings as he attempts to steal the wheelchair from beneath her
But eventually she gets dumped out of her wheelchair and the suspect takes off with it
Anyone with information to help track down the suspect described as a ‘white man, mid-20s, 200-215 pounds with dark blonde hair and a goatee’ was urged to call Silent Witness or submit a tip online.
He was finally caught on Saturday afternoon, more than a week later, after thousands of people shared his image across social media.
It unclear what helped identify him but police said he was still wearing the reindeer slippers when he was arrested.
Sharbutt had two outstanding warrants. He was arrested for the aggravated assault of a healthcare professional in March.
He now faces five new charges including robbery, kidnapping and assault.
Others on the train are seen stepping in to help, some running out in order to stop him
He doesn’t get far with it as Good Samaritans came to the rescue and got the wheelchair back
Anyone with information to help track down the suspect was urged to call Silent Witness and he was caught Saturday still wearing the festive slippers