Lynn University Lacrosse Player Tackles Fleeing Hit-and-Run Suspect
Brandon Rothstein helps catch driver accused of crashing into vehicles, say police
A Lynn University lacrosse player helped police catch a fleeing hit-and-run suspect — by tackling him and putting him in a sleeper hold.
Brandon Rothstein, 22, said he was boarding the lacrosse team’s bus on Wednesday for an out-of-town game when he noticed a man running from cops across the campus lacrosse field. Rothstein — who is a criminal justice major — then hit the suspect in his chest and knocked him down, according to a Boca Raton police arrest report. Police then used a Taser on the suspect, Spencer Cohen, 25, of Boca Raton, and he was arrested.
Rothstein said he had no intention of letting the suspect elude police by causing trouble at Lynn. “I saw him and did a full sprint toward him,” Rothstein said. “I tackled him and threw him into a sleeper hold and just held him until police arrived and arrested him.” A sleeper hold is a type of choke hold used to incapacitate people. The decision to apprehend the suspect was a no-brainer, said Rothstein, a senior. That’s because the man was running over the school’s soon-to-be-unveiled new lacrosse field.
