Bellwood homeowner who helped police catch porch pirate upset that suspect is out
By Marissa Sulek
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CHICAGO (WBBM) — A west suburban homeowner helped police capture a porch pirate after using fake packages to lure him and confronted the suspect with a gun.
The homeowner, however, said he doesn’t believe he’ll see justice after learning that the suspect was released until his court appearance.
The man seen on Ring camera running out of the front door in his boxers and a gun behind his back is Jaleel Anthony.
“I just grabbed my firearm, because I am legal to carry and I just buckled out of the house,” Anthony said.
He was going after the man he said was stealing packages from his mom’s Bellwood home and countless others across the western suburbs. In order to catch the thief, his mom put out a stack of fake packages last week in hopes he’d fall for it, and he did.
Some said that he went too far in coming out with a gun.
“Like I said, it had nothing to do with the package that I brought out a gun. I brought out a gun because you came onto my property,” he said.
Bellwood police arrived at the scene a short time later and arrested the porch pirate. Anthony said 30 packages from cities and the west suburbs were found in the suspect’s vehicle.
Bellwood police identified the man as 27-year-old Joseph Davenport.
When Anthony posted his video to social media, he said videos of Davenport came pouring in from people across the area, dealing with the same problem and the same man.
Anthony said the porch pirate was the same guy from the story that CBS News Chicago covered last November, when he stole a package in Oak Forest. This time, Bellwood charged him with multiple theft misdemeanors. He was cited and released while he waits for a court appearance.
His release did not sit well with Anthony.
“I truly 100% believe he is doing the same thing. I believe he is doing it because the laws in Cook County protect criminals and not the working-hard citizens who get up every day and go to work,” he said.
At this point, he says he doesn’t know if he or anyone else who fell victim to Davenport will see justice.
The Better Business Bureau does not advise people to confront thieves with guns. Instead, work to prevent this from happening by scheduling packages, sending them to a workplace, or having them delivered to a neighbor.
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