October 29, 2019—A mechanic from Palmetto Tire and Auto in Sumter, Calif. helped catch a suspect for the Sumter Police Department, reports The Sumter Item.
25-year-old mechanic Josh Robinson spoke Friday about a shooting on Monday that left three at the auto repair shop injured and his immediate car chase of the suspect from the tire dealer and auto repair shop that aided law enforcement in making an arrest within minutes before additional harm could have occurred.
Robinson was actually not on the property at the time of the shooting. He was test-driving a customer's vehicle that was at the shop for repairs, he said. As shooting suspect Ozzy Alexander Mooneyham was reportedly fleeing the scene about 7:47 a.m. in the small gray car he was driving, Robinson had just pulled back into the parking lot, with a shop foreman yelling, "Follow the car!"
Robinson then chased after Mooneyham in his car, finally catching up to him and blocking him into a parking lot.
Still not knowing exactly what happened back at the shop, Robinson assumed the suspect had possibly stolen a vehicle from Palmetto Tire. After trying to flag cops down and unsuccessful in doing so, the police finally caught on and chased Mooneyham and his vehicle in another chase. They eventually stopped him at gunpoint at an intersection next to a gas station.
After the incident, police reported Mooneyham had 400 rounds for his .22-caliber rife in his car and two handguns.
Robinson said there's no doubt in his mind that he did the right thing in chasing down the shooter.
"I was just in the right place at the right time," Robinson said.
