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Woman Uses Bear Spray To Catch San Francisco 'Bicycle Bandit' Suspect

SAN FRANCSICO (KCBS) - San Francisco police believe they've arrested the man known as the Bicycle Bandit of Noe Valley thanks to a fed up victim who caught the suspect using a can of bear spray and a wooden sword.

For months, the sleepy neighborhood had been plagued by a number of car thefts and packages that disappeared from door steps by a thief occasionally photographed pedaling away on a bicycle.

KCBS' Doug Sovern Reports:

Finally on Tuesday, food photographer Sonya Yu decided to set a trap, leaving a package on her 22nd Street doorstep as bait. Armed with bear repellant and a Japanese training sword known as a bokken, she then chased down the man who came along to steal it.

Unleashing half a can of the orange-colored bear spray on her quarry, 51-year-old Andy Anduha, Yu made a citizens arrest and quickly called police.

Anduha was taken into custody on suspicion of first-degree residential burglary. Investigators said he could face as much as 6 years in prison.

Other victims on the block hailed Yu as a hero, saying they were relieved the bicycle bandit had finally been caught.

Although Yu tweeted throughout her pursuit, she has since declined any interviews.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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