Good samaritans step in to catch man who groped a woman on the bus

Seattle, WA - A registered sex offender gropes a woman at a bus stop in Seattle Thursday, and is taken down by a group of witnesses as he tries to escape.

Steve McNerlin didn't think he'd ever have to pull out his old wrestling moves. But Thursday night, he was standing outside his Capitol Hill apartment, when he saw two people chasing a man down the street. He started following them.

They said the man had just assaulted a woman at the bus stop a block away.

"With the way the guy was trying to run and avoid everybody," he said. "That just made him look more guilty. So I was just like, I'm going to have to step in and make sure this guy doesn't go anywhere."

McNerlin says he knocked him down, and held him on the ground until the police arrived.

Deville Pace, 29, was convicted of third degree attempted rape in 2013, according to the Sex offender registry.

McNerlin says it seems like he didn't learn his lesson after that crime, which is why he's glad he was able to help catch him.

He is quick to point out that he wasn't the only one who stepped in, if people at the bus stop hadn't chased Pace, he could have gotten away.

Women who ride the bus on Capitol Hill say they're glad to know there are people looking out for them.