Washington Tackle Skyler Fancher Nabs Purse Snatcher Despite Broken Leg

Skyler Fancher is an offensive tackle for the Washington Huskies who broke his leg during spring practice, requiring two surgeries. But he's still surprisingly nimble for a big guy, as a purse snatcher on the Washington campus found out the hard way.

Fancher was having dinner at a Chipotle Tuesday night when he heard a woman scream that her purse had been stolen. He looked up, saw the thief running away, and decided to run him down.

Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times picks up the story:

The chase lasted about 10 minutes, according to Fancher. It included two other men, one of whom suffered knee and nose injuries while trying to catch the purse snatcher. During the pursuit, Fancher, who has had two surgeries on his right leg since he injured it during spring practice, also climbed a wall.

"After coming off surgery, I'm not in top shape, so I was pretty tired," Fancher said Thursday afternoon. "It took us at least 10 minutes to catch him, but it seemed like forever. ...

"I would just say I'm a normal citizen," said Fancher, who did not reinjure his leg during the chase. "We're all just trying to look out for each other, right?"

The thief was a 14-year-old boy who climbed a tree to try to get away from Fancher. He was ultimately apprehended by police. And Fancher says he feels good about what he did, and that his leg feels fine -- even though doctors haven't even cleared him to run

Follow sports? Follow @MichaelDavSmith on Twitter.