Eugene police arrested a young man Wednesday after he unsuccessfully attempted to steal a tip jar from a downtown restaurant and was tackled by a Tae Kwon Do instructor.
At around 9:20 p.m., the 17-year-old walked into Gaya Restaurant at 860 Pearl St., grabbed the tip jar and ran out. A U.S. Tae Kwon Do College instructor who was eating at a table inside the restaurant promptly got up and chased the young man all the way to the Wayne Morse Federal Courthouse 1 1/2 blocks away. The instructor tackled him and let him go after the jar fell to the ground. The young man kept running.
An EPD community service officer later saw the suspect at 3rd Avenue and Pearl Street, and a patrol officer chased him on foot to Ya-Po-Ah Terrace at 350 Pearl St., where the suspect hid behind an outbuilding but came out when the officer commanded him. The officer arrested the 17-year-old on charges of robbery and being a minor in possession of alcohol.