A surveillance video from August 2022 has resurfaced showing restaurant owner Tim Ratcliff chase, tackle and restrain a man who punched and robbed an older diner in Hollywood. The attacker fled with the victim's wallet and phone but was caught near Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea Avenue. Ratcliff and bystanders recovered the stolen items, and Ratcliff said he held the suspect for nearly 10 minutes until police arrived. The victim, Richard Schlesinger, suffered two cracked ribs in the attack.
Restaurant Owner Chases, Tackles Suspect Who Punched and Robbed Older Diner in Hollywood
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A surveillance video that first circulated in August 2022 has resurfaced, showing a dramatic citizen intervention after an older diner was punched and robbed in Hollywood, California.
The clip opens with the victim seated outside when a man suddenly approaches and strikes him, knocking him from his chair. The attacker then flees with the victim's wallet and cellphone.
Tim Ratcliff, owner of the nearby restaurant Shin, said he had just stepped outside when he saw the assault. "I set the drink down on my table and I literally turned and watched as it happened," he told ABC7 Los Angeles.
Without hesitation, Ratcliff chased the fleeing suspect toward the busy intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea Avenue. Ratcliff said the man struck him during the pursuit; Ratcliff then tackled the suspect and brought him to the ground.
Other bystanders immediately assisted. Ratcliff's girlfriend and another woman recovered the stolen wallet and cellphone while Ratcliff kept the suspect pinned. Ratcliff said he held the man down for nearly 10 minutes waiting for Los Angeles police to arrive; the suspect repeatedly asked to be released, he recalled.
"Honestly, I didn't even think about it, it was just instinct," Ratcliff told ABC7 about his decision to intervene.
The victim was later identified as Richard Schlesinger. In an interview with FOX 11 Los Angeles, Schlesinger said he had just finished eating and was paying when the attacker struck him, knocking him onto the pavement. He later learned he had sustained two cracked ribs.
Ratcliff and Schlesinger later went to a downtown Los Angeles courthouse hoping to follow up on the criminal case, but they were told the suspect could not be located in the local custody system at that time. Contemporary Fox News coverage originally credited the surveillance footage to Hollywood Shin when the story first ran in 2022; the same footage has since been reshared on social platforms.
Note on unverified details: Ratcliff said the suspect had been frequenting the neighborhood and that staff had previously given him food and water; that characterization comes from Ratcliff and has not been independently verified by available reporting.
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