A Madison man led police and witnesses on a chase through the downtown area after he cut through a window screen and stole a laptop from an apartment Monday evening.
The burglary occurred at 5:42 p.m. at the 26-year-old victim's residence. The victim, who was home at the time of the robbery, chased the perpetrator from the 100 block of East Gorham Street toward James Madison Park with a gathering of witnesses, according to the police report. The suspect returned the laptop but after doing so, fled the scene.
According to Madison Police Department Public Information Officer Joel DeSpain, a UW student flagged down a nearby police officer, and the officer chased the suspect on foot. A struggle ensued in which perpetrator elbowed the officer in the chest and broke free. Another onlooker, a former wrestler, tackled the suspect and pinned him to the ground.
Soon after, police backup arrived where they again captured the suspect and subdued him with an Electronic Control Device Taser. DeSpain said it is not uncommon for [officers to use the taser] if a suspect is resisting arrest.""
Police arrested Taurus S. Bowdry, age 34, and tentatively charged him with residential burglary, battery to a law enforcement officer, resisting a law enforcement officer and a parole hold.
DeSpain said laptop burglaries are often a result of cut window screens.
MPD Central District Lt. Joe Balles encourages students to take preventative measures with their laptops. Most notably, Balles advises students to be careful where they put their backpack and write down the serial number of their laptop. The number helps the police and manufacturer more easily track the device in case it is stolen.
Balles also suggests students invest in an external hard drive and backup important data often. ""It is a cheap insurance policy in the event that you lose everything that is on your laptop,"" he said.
