Nation Notes: Courts

When San Francisco taxi driver Holden Charles Hollom saw a mugger knock down a Japanese tourist and grab her purse, he drove off in hot pursuit and pinned the suspect against the wall with his cab, breaking the man's leg.

The mugger, Ocie McClure, was found guilty of robbery and sentenced to 10 years in prison. But then he filed a damage suit against Hollom. Earlier this month a jury found that Hollom used excessive force in making a citizen's arrest and ordered him to pay McClure $24,595.

The verdict provoked a swift outcry from crime-exhausted San Franciscans. Although Hollom's employer, the Luxor Cab Co., promised to cover all his expenses, a local radio station launched a fund-raising drive on his behalf. Within a week more than $25,000 had been collected; the surplus money will be donated to a victims' relief fund. Says Hollom: "I would do exactly the same thing again."