Good Samaritan prevents laptop theft at San Francisco coffee shop

SAN FRANCISCO ( KRON ) – Over the weekend, customers at a San Francisco cafe stopped a man from taking off with a woman's laptop.

The San Francisco Police Department says a man ran into a Sana'a Cafe, grabbed a laptop and ran. But a man named Henry Flynn was right outside. He tackled the alleged thief to the ground and held him there until police arrived.

“It literally felt like everyone inside the cafe was screaming," Flynn told KRON4.

Flynn was enjoying a cup of coffee outside the cafe, located at 199 New Montgomery St., Saturday evening when he says he saw a man running out with a laptop. Flynn works as a security guard, so he says it felt natural to take matters into his own hands.

“I saw someone running out with a hood on, and a laptop in their right hand almost like a football player would run with a football," he said. "I had the ability to use my left arm to nudge the guy. I think the momentum of him running and my nudging him made him stumble towards one of the cars that was parked. Then I jumped on top of him.”

Flynn says other customers jumped in to help.

“I was able to tell people ‘You grab an arm, you grab an arm, you grab a leg,' and a leg to subdue him until the cops came," Flynn remembered.

A video (included above) from Frisco Live 415, shows San Francisco police arresting 19-year-old Zachary Morris-Dadzie of Suisun City and Flynn talking with officers afterward about what happened.

Flynn learned from police that the man had snatched the laptop from a woman sitting inside. The laptop was returned to the rightful owner, thanks to Flynn and others.

Flynn said his phone's screen cracked while he was apprehending the man, and the victim and her husband offered to Venmo him for the repair.

As video of the incident circulates on social media , people are calling Flynn a hero, but he humbly disagrees.

“Most people want to do the right thing. It just takes one person to really get ahead of it and everyone else will follow," he said.

Flynn is a fourth-generation San Franciscan who is fundraising to run for mayor this November.

“I see myself representing the silenced majority of the city – the working class, the bread and butter of the city. I think what we need right now is the same thing that happened at that cafe where everyone came together. We need that citywide. We need everyone coming together who's invested in the heart and soul of the city," he said.

Morris-Dadzie was booked into jail and charged with grand theft and second-degree burglary.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.