NFL Player-Turned-Lawmaker Helps Crack a Murder Case

Napoleon Harris chases robbers, who end up being murder suspects
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 23, 2016 9:48 AM CDT
NFL Player-Turned-Lawmaker Now a Crime-Fighter, Too
Kansas City's Napoleon Harris makes a tackle in 2007   (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

It's just your ordinary tale of a pizza delivery guy who used to play in the NFL and is now a state lawmaker chasing after the men who robbed him and inadvertently helping crack a murder case. The bizarre tale centers around 37-year-old Napoleon Harris, who played linebacker for the Raiders and other teams years ago. Harris is not only an Illinois state senator now, he's also the owner of two Beggars Pizza franchises, and when an order came in before closing on Sept. 6, he opted to handle the delivery himself, reports the Daily Southtown. It turned out to be an ambush at a vacant house in Harvey, police say. When Harris showed up at the address, one man greeted him on the porch while three others jumped out and attacked him. At this point, it's relevant to point out that Harris is 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds.

“They put a chokehold on the senator, but to no avail," says Sean Howard, who doubles as a spokesman for Harris and the Harvey police, per CBS 2. "They were really trying to choke him to death, and he was just too strong." They did manage to get his wallet, however, before fleeing in a vehicle. Harris followed them to a lumberyard and called police. The assailants escaped on foot but left behind the vehicle, which had blood in it that police traced to a man in Georgia who had been reported missing. His body would be found in Georgia a few days later, per the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Harris' descriptions helped police track down his assailants, and three of them are being in held in connection with the Georgia killing. Charges are pending against the fourth man. (More weird crimes stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X