Ismaila ‘Izzy’ Singhateh: Holland Park man tackles alleged thief

A Brisbane man who had his keys and wallet stolen at work arrived home to find his house being robbed. So he crash tackled the alleged thief and his boss tied him up with an extension chord - all while a shocked neighbour caught it on film. SEE THE VIDEO

A Brisbane sales rep who had his keys and wallet stolen at work arrived home an hour later to find the alleged perpetrator mid-robbery, crash tackling him before his boss bound the man’s hands with an extension chord while a shocked neighbour filmed.

Holland Park man Ismaila ‘Izzy’ Singhateh, 24, has been hailed a “hero” by his admiring housemates, especially marketing manager Veronica, whose priceless heirloom jewellery box was in the alleged thief’s arms when Mr Singhateh intervened.

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Police say Gambian-born Mr Singhateh was setting up a display of tiles at Bunnings Rocklea on Wednesday about 10am when the alleged thief struck, pilfering Mr Singhateh’s backpack.

A short while later, Mr Singhateh began receiving bank alerts for about $200 worth of transactions at Sherwood Rd, Rocklea, twigging him on to the fact he may have been robbed.

Housemates Veronica and Darcy with man of the moment Ismaela Singhateh, 24, who tackled an alleged robber in his home on Monday. Picture: Alex Treacy

Mr Singhateh’s boss alerted him to the possibility the alleged thief would target his home as he had his keys and address via his driver’s license.

Mr Singhateh said the moment he turned onto the street with his boss he could see his Hyundai Accent had been stolen.

Holland Park Police arresting a 31-year-old Woodridge man alleged to have robbed the home of Ismael Singhateh. Picture: Supplied

The pair went inside via the open garage and came face-to-face with the alleged thief carrying “arms full” of stolen property.

Without thinking, Mr Singhateh sprung into action, grappling with the alleged thief as the pair rolled down the stairs before gaining the upper hand by placing him in a headlock.

“He was flailing about, he had his hands full,” Mr Singhateh said.

“He was saying to me, ‘You’re hurting me, let me go, let me go’.”

Image of the alleged robber tied up in the backyard with Ismael Singhateh's boss standing watch. Note the coins and other property strewn in the foreground. Picture: Supplied

Once the man was subdued, Mr Singhateh’s boss bound his hands with an extension chord and he was arrested when police arrived a short time later, but not before Mr Singhateh offered him a drink of water because he “looked thirsty”.

A picture of the citizen’s arrest shows silver coins from a money tin in the alleged thief’s possession at the time of the struggle strewn throughout the backyard.

A wall-mounted TV was also allegedly stolen, wrenched off the wall taking a big chunk of plaster with it.

Mr Singhateh’s car remains missing.

“He (allegedly) stole the most random stuff,” housemate Darcy said.

“He didn’t take either of our laptops, but he took the money tin and had an almost-empty bottle of my cologne in his pocket.”

Holland Park resident Ismael Singhateh (right) and his boss tying up an alleged 31-year-old Woodridge thief. Picture: Supplied

Darcy was privy to the whole ordeal – Mr Singhateh called him when he saw his car was stolen not realising the alleged offender was still inside.

“He was saying, ‘Oh no, the garage door is open, I think we’ve been robbed’, then all of a sudden, ‘Oi!’, and I start hearing him beat this guy up,” he  said.

“Izzy is a pretty devout guy, he’s never had an (alcoholic) drink.

“I’ve never heard him use that type of language before.”

Darcy said he plans on alerting the Gambian media to their heroic expat.

“He’s a Gambian celebrity,” he laughed.

A 31-year-old Woodridge man appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court yesterday charged with five offences, including stealing, fraud, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, and enter premises by break and commit indictable offence.

He made no application for bail and has been remanded in custody until his next mention on September 30.

Originally published as Ismaila ‘Izzy’ Singhateh: Holland Park man tackles alleged thief