In a story that reads like the opening scene of an action movie, a Detroit priest dressed in full clerical robes physically chased down and confronted an 18-year-old driver who was attempting to flee the scene of a car crash — and he caught him.
Father Commins, as he has been identified in local reports, was apparently nearby when the crash occurred and witnessed the teen making a run for it. Rather than simply calling the authorities and watching from a safe distance, the priest gave chase on foot, caught up with the fleeing driver, and physically restrained him until police arrived.
The teen, described as putting up a fight during the confrontation, didn’t make it easy. Photos accompanying the story show the priest with a bandaged right hand bearing visible scrapes and bruising — evidence that this wasn’t a gentle detainment. The contrast between his ceremonial robes and his clearly battle-worn knuckles has made the story enormously shareable online.
Hit-and-run incidents are a persistent and serious problem in Detroit, as they are in many American cities. Drivers who flee accident scenes deny victims the ability to make insurance claims, access medical assistance, or pursue any form of accountability. The willingness of a bystander — even a cassock-wearing one — to physically intervene when legal avenues seem about to fail speaks to the frustration many communities feel about these incidents.
From a legal standpoint, citizens in Michigan do have the right to make arrests under certain circumstances, and preventing an imminent escape after witnessing a crime may well fall within those provisions. Whether the priest faces any legal questions about the physical nature of the restraint is unclear at this point, though local reaction has been overwhelmingly supportive.
The teen is now facing charges related to the crash and the attempted flight from the scene. As for Father Commins, he’s receiving something between admiration and bemused celebrity for his role in the whole affair — a mix of reactions that, one imagines, he’s taking in stride.
Source: Jalopnik