Would-be bicycle thief lassoed by cowboy

A man allegedly attempting to steal a bicycle from a Southern Oregon car park was foiled by a cowboy on a horse on Friday morning when the mounted rider lassoed the would-be thief and kept him roped up until police arrived. The incident unfolded at around 10:30am in front of the Walmart in Eagle Point, about 12 miles northeast of Medford, said Officer Chris Adams.

A man tried to grab a mountain bike off the rack in front of the store, Adams said, in plain view of the bicycle's owner. The woman who owned the bike gave chase, as did several other bystanders including a man on horseback who snared him with a lasso and kept him at bay until police arrived.
Robert Borba is used to roping cattle, not criminals, but his usual routine took an unlikely turn when he went to pick up some dog food at the store. “I hear a lady yelling, ‘Stop him he stole my bike!'” Robert Borba said. The champion bull rider could tell the man was getting away, so he got back-up. “Grabbed Old Grey and went for him,” he said.

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“I just roped him and the rope went down around his feet and I just rode off like I would if I’d roped a cow or something by myself,” Borba explains. Borba held the man until police arrived, and then headed back to the farm to tend to his horses. “Poor gals bike that could have been her only transportation,” Borba added. “Stealing ain’t right so I figured get him stopped you know?” Officers arrested the suspect, Victorino Sanchez, on a theft charge. He’s being held at the Jackson County Jail.