The judge essentially forced a guilty verdict by saying the law that the defense was relying upon didn't say what they thought it did. There are 2 parts to the law, and the judge stated that both parts need to be fulfilled for a citizens arrest. They only fulfilled part 2. They had no knowledge of a burglary that had been committed immediately before they pursued him from my understanding. You can't chase someone unless they are fleeing the scene of the felony. It could still go acquittal, but my money is on guilty based on that decision. Now were they RIGHT in what they did? Yes. Legal? No. The neighborhood had been terrorized by burglaries for months before this to the point that people weren't letting their kids outside DURING THE DAY! The cops were called constantly, but nothing was done. These guys did what they needed to do to protect their community by apprehending a suspected burglar. What's right and what's legal don't often intersect in these cases.