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Man Uses Marathon Experience to Chase Down Car Snatchers
Runner's World ^ | August 25, 2018 | McGee Nall

Posted on 08/25/2018 8:04:51 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Does every runner fantasize about using their endurance and speed to chase after bad guys and save the day? We’re not sure, but 36-year-old marathoner Morgan Scoville put that skill to good use on Wednesday when he witnessed two men run a couple off the road with their stolen vehicle and then try to run away.

Scoville is the interim head of school for The Fay School in Houston, Texas, and the school took the day off for a day of observance in respect for the Muslim holiday, Eid al-Adha, which fell on the calendar earlier in the week. With his day off, Scoville decided to go for a five-mile run in Buffalo Bayou Park along the Allen Parkway in Houston. Scoville said he was only a mile into his run when he heard two cars engaging nearby. He turned to find a black Chevrolet Tahoe ram into a smaller Hyundai. The Tahoe eventually ricocheted and wrapped around a telephone pole, according to KTRK, stopping about 20 meters away from Scoville.

“I put my hands over my mouth, like ‘Oh my god, that person is dead. There’s no way someone survived that,’” Scoville told Runner’s World over the phone.

Two men jumped out of the Tahoe and then started sprinting north, and Scoville’s instincts kicked into full gear.

“Immediately I’m like, okay those are bad guys,” Scoville said. “They meant to do that, they know they did something wrong, and they’re getting out of here. I’m not going to let that happen.”

Thanks to running more than 16 marathons, eight of those being the Boston Marathon, Scoville knew he could tail the culprits as long as he needed to until the cops arrived. He took off and told other pedestrians and drivers he saw along the way to call 911, and told one woman to tell the police what he was wearing so they could find his location.

After chasing the men for about half a mile, police cars and a helicopter suddenly surrounded the area. They caught one of the men right away, and the other shortly after. The Tahoe had been reported stolen the day before, so the two men were already on the cops’ radar. Scoville explained the situation to the police, one of which was the Houston Chief of Police Art Acevedo.

“He came over, thanked me, shook my hand and said, ‘You just saved our department a lot of time and money, we really appreciate what you’ve done,’” Scoville said. “It was crazy.”

After speaking with the police, Scoville ran back to the other vehicle that had been hit to check on the victims. Convinced they would be severely injured (or worse), he found a couple sitting in the grass by their totaled car, completely unscathed.

“I just looked at [the husband] and said, ‘I can’t believe you’re alive,’” Scoville said. “We hugged each other and he thanked me.”

It just so happened the husband and wife were Muslim, and Scoville explained why his school had taken the day off.

Scoville said The Fay School recently received response training for active school shootings, so reacting to dangerous situations properly was already on his mind. He encourages other runners—or any bystander—to do the same in case of emergencies.

“It’s our responsibility to react, if appropriate,” Scoville said. “You’ve got to think, and you can't just stand there.”


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: chase; houston; morganscoville; police; ramming; running; texas; thieves

1 posted on 08/25/2018 8:04:51 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Didn’t need the muslim holiday mention. That needs to be stopped in the media. Now.


2 posted on 08/25/2018 8:12:07 PM PDT by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin (Freedom is the freedom to discipline yourself so others don't have to do it for you.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

The story has to be all about muzzies?


3 posted on 08/25/2018 8:24:00 PM PDT by Deaf Smith (When a Texan takes his chances, chances will be taken that's fore sure)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Weird story. A man on a muslim holiday caught the perpetrators who victimized muslim. Weird. As if the writer focused on the narrative and avoided the facts. Now the part about the victims and the author’s name are missing at the news site. Yup, weird and fake news.


4 posted on 08/25/2018 8:27:35 PM PDT by Falconspeed ("Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others." Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94))
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

“...when he witnessed two men run a couple off the road with their stolen vehicle and then try to run away.”

Why did the couple have a stolen vehicle?


5 posted on 08/25/2018 8:28:21 PM PDT by moovova
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Muzzie victims = story MUCH better.

Somehow.

BUT:

When they’re the PERPS?

They’ll move heaven & earth to avoid the muzzie mention.


6 posted on 08/25/2018 8:29:52 PM PDT by gaijin
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To: MeneMeneTekelUpharsin

That’s the real story, a Texas school observes Eid.


7 posted on 08/25/2018 8:30:05 PM PDT by Mr. Blond
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

8 posted on 08/25/2018 8:31:23 PM PDT by LegendHasIt
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
"...the school took the day off for a day of observance in respect for the Muslim holiday, Eid al-Adha..."

Does the school also take days off to observe Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu holidays?

Somehow I doubt it.

9 posted on 08/25/2018 9:39:28 PM PDT by Windflier (Pitchforks and torches ripen on the vine. Left too long, they become black rifles.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

How many muz are in that district? Texas should be ashamed.


10 posted on 08/26/2018 3:34:32 AM PDT by Brooklyn Attitude (The first step in ending the war on white people is to recognize it exists.)
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To: Falconspeed
"Yup, weird and fake news."

Exactly. The narrative is intentionally altered to trick you in to reading a "feel good" story about Muslims. Just because the "facts" aren't real is irrelevant with today's media.

11 posted on 08/26/2018 4:35:52 AM PDT by norwaypinesavage (The stone age didn't end because we ran out of stones.)
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To: MeneMeneTekelUpharsin

Never going to happen.

I tried to Delete all that ragholeday from My iPhone- can’t do it !


12 posted on 08/27/2018 10:22:27 AM PDT by mabarker1 (congress- the opposite of PROGRESS!!!)
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To: Windflier

The schools in my area have been closed on the two big Jewish holidays since the 70s.

.


13 posted on 08/27/2018 10:26:02 AM PDT by Mears
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To: Mears
The schools in my area have been closed on the two big Jewish holidays since the 70s.

I have no problem with that, as the Jewish people have been a big part of our culture for a very long time.

I can't say the same for Muslims.

14 posted on 08/27/2018 11:08:18 AM PDT by Windflier (Pitchforks and torches ripen on the vine. Left too long, they become black rifles.)
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