Calif. Woman Chases Burglar With Sword & Bear Spray, Makes Citizen's Arrest -- And She Live-Tweeted All of It!

A San Francisco woman used a Japanese training sword and bear spray to chase down an alleged thief suspected of stealing packages off porches in her neighborhood -- and live-tweeted the entire thing.

Sonya Yu said on Twitter more than $1,000 worth of goods was taken from her porch. When she heard the thief was apparently back in the area on Tuesday, she set out a "bait package" and -- in between tweeting about planning her wedding -- was ready with a can of bear spray by the door:

Apparently, our neighborhood thief has a violent rape rap sheet. My bear spray, bokken, & I are still not intimidated.

— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

@cindyloughridge nope! & he’s back & strong apparently. We keep bear spray by the door, so my plan is spray, call 911, & mutilate his junk.

— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

@scoutj he’s the one that’s been rampantly stealing packages in our neighborhood. I put out a bait package today & will be quietly working.

— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

I GOT HIM WITH THE BEAR SPRAY BUT HE ESCAPED. — Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

CALLED 911 and talking with a cop now. — Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

I AM PUTTING HIM UNDER CITIZENS ARREST RIGHT NOW WITH 4 COPS. — Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

8 COPS HAVE HIM & I JUST CONFIRMED ID. — Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

HE IS BEIN TAKEN AWAY IN AN AMBULANCE CUZ OF THE BEAR SPRAY I DOUSED HIM WITH.

— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

I WAS ALSO HIT WITH BEAR SPRAY BLOW BACK, SO MY FACE IS BURNING BUT IT FEELS SO GOOD.

— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

The San Francisco Chronicle reported police held 51-year-old Andy Anduha on citizen's arrest before booking him on suspicion of attempted burglary.

According to Yu's Twitter timeline, about two hours elapsed between her tweet about the bait package and tweeting that she had him.

She said later on Twitter that she sprayed him from above on the first-floor balcony.

"He didn't try to attack me but he did have a knife. I was above him on the 1st floor balcony, dousing him with bear spray," she tweeted. Bear spray is a strong form of pepper spray used for protection against bears.

Yu said he managed to escape but didn't get far suffering under the effects of the spray -- and the fact that he was left painted bright orange.

@_bryce_ he escaped, but not far. The bear spray debilitated him & painted him orange so other cops picked him up within 5 minutes. GOT HIM!

— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

@nettatheninja yes otherwise ok :) I chased him with the spray & bokken. Cops were cracking up when they arrived to see me & my weapons.

— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012

According to the Chronicle, Anduha was scheduled to be arraigned on one count of first-degree residential burglary and faces up to six years in state prison if convicted.

San Francisco police spokesman Sgt. Michael Andraychak told the newspaper that while police don't recommend that the public “take the law into their own hands” for safety reasons, it's completely legal to make a citizen’s arrest.

“We’d rather you call us — you never know who you’ll come up against,” Andraychak said. “But you have the right to make a private citizen’s arrest for crimes that are committed in your presence. You also have the right to protect yourself while trying to make that arrest, within reason.”

Yu on Friday reiterated that she would not be speaking to the media about the incident because of the active police investigation. She said she received an update about the case from the district attorney's office on Thursday but was leaving town soon for five weeks and was hoping it would all "blow over."