SEATTLE POLICE PHOTO

Actor Peter Rini, left, is honored by Seattle police.

Seattle police honored New York actor Peter Rini on Wednesday for apprehending a man who had stolen a van and collided with two cars on Feb. 8.

Rini was walking near 19th Avenue East and East Republican Street just before noon when he noticed a white van colliding with a pair of cars and heard the female driver of one of the vehicles scream. The driver of the van then hit a telephone pole and took off.

As the man tried to run off, Rini tackled and subdued him until police arrived.

According to police, "Had it not been for Mr. Rini's actions, the arriving officers would have had to eventually set up delayed containment in the neighborhood and actively searched for the suspect on foot, making it difficult at best to find the suspect in this densely populated area of Capitol Hill."

Rini was in town that day appearing in the Seattle production of the musical "South Pacific." Click here to view Rini's filmography on The Internet Movie Database.