Pastor catches burglar in act

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) - A Portsmouth pastor was able to stop a burglary Tuesday by chasing down a suspect and holding him down until police arrived.

Melvin Gould saw a man taking items from his neighbor's home on Greenbrook Drive in the Churchland area of Portsmouth and decided to take action. When he confronted the burglar, the suspect ran away but Gould, along with other neighbors, was able to contact police.

"He started making a beeline for his car, got in his car, tried to start it," Gould, a pastor at a local church said. "We got to tussling and I'm on 911 the whole time and in the process my phone dropped in his car and I had him in a headlock."

Gould wrestled the man to the ground until police arrived.

"What was in my head was territorial and I was protecting my neighbors from these types of guys that come here and while they're working hard, they rob their homes," Gould said.

Paramedics took the suspect to a hospital. No word yet on the suspect's identity or charges.