No wants to be interrupted when they eat, but sometimes being a hero comes first.

On August 1, Joe Perowne, 34, of Norwich, England, was riding his bike with a sandwich in his mouth at about 6 p.m. when he heard a woman scream, according to the Eastern Daily Press. The woman was being robbed: A man took her purse and ran off with it.

Despite being mid-ride and mid-snack, Perowne pedaled after the suspect with the sandwich still in his mouth. However, when the suspect went down a set of stairs, Perowne had to ditch the bike—and his dinner—to continue pursuing the criminal.

The suspect eventually hopped a wall and fell to the ground. Perowne stood over him, and the suspect surrendered the bag.

“I thought, ‘Do I give him a good hiding or sit on him until the police come?’ Perowne told the Eastern Daily Press. “But I didn’t know if he had a knife or if he would fight me, so I just took the bag.”

Perowne, who became homeless last year, returned the bag to the 50-year-old victim. She sustained minor injuries to her knee, hip, ankle, and elbow in the altercation with the thief.

According to a witness, Perowne received cheers when he returned with the bag.

“He was holding a sandwich at the time bless his heart and just took off after the guy,” the witness told the Eastern Daily Press. “A lot of people would not have bothered, but he obviously did.”

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Andrew Dawson
Gear & News Editor

Drew covers a variety of subjects for Runner’s World and Bicycling, and he specializes in writing and editing human interest pieces while also covering health, wellness, gear, and fitness for the brand. His work has previously been published in Men’s Health.