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Kids playing basketball help Missouri police catch burglary suspect

Posted at 2:24 PM, May 05, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-05 16:33:27-04

A pre-teen's basketball shot from beyond the arc was good for more than just a few points in Springfield.

Springfield police say a group of ten-to-twelve-year-old kids helped them catch a suspected burglar on the run. 

It all started after officers responded to a call for a burglary. Police say they received reports that a 50-year-old male had just broken into a garage and stole several items, including two weed trimmers before taking off on a bike. 

He dropped the lawn tools after encountering police and rode away. According to a post from the Springfield Police Department, the first officer followed him in his patrol car until backup arrived and started chasing him on foot.

That's where the young All-Stars come into play.  

Police say the kids were playing basketball nearby and one of them "threw a basketball across the roadway at the suspect, striking him, causing him to wreck his bicycle in the grass."

Officers were then able to book the suspect into custody for burglary.