Burglarize a Cop. Real Smart. Dumbass.

Courtesy of

Lt. Manuel Holstein, a federal police officer, was on his day off. But he nabbed a burglar anyway.

The burglar came to him, picking the wrong place to rob.

A man, identified Laurence Tanksley, a 52-year-old chef from Bluffton, S.C., was arrested for burglary and possession of tools for the commission of a crime.

Holstein said he was watching TV in his apartment when he heard a noise from his closet _ where all his police uniforms are stored.

"Then, I saw this guy walking out of there and going to the door," said Holstein, who works for the Department of Defense at Hunter Army Airfield.

Tanksley, who told police he entered the apartment to retrieve medicine that belonged to Holstein's ex-wife, hid in the closet when Holstein unexpectedly came home, said Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan police spokesman Sgt. Mike Wilson.

Holstein told the man to stop, but he kept walking and Holstein had to tackle him to the floor.

"We got into a scuffle for two or three minutes. I told him I was a police officer, but he still fought me," said Holstein, a former Chatham County Police officer and Marine.

Holstein didn't have his handcuffs on him, so he dragged Tanksley, to a place where he could handcuff him.

Police found a rented orange ladder from Home Depot, along with the rental receipt in Tanksley's truck. Tanksley was wearing surgical gloves and had a knife in his pocket.