Video shows elderly woman stopping suspected Walmart shoplifter, rips off his balaclava
According to a video posted online, a brave elderly woman managed to stop a suspected shoplifter from leaving a Walmart store by tearing off his balaclava. A man wearing a balaclava pulled a shopping cart full of goods towards the exit of a Canadian Walmart in a video posted on Facebook. When a person recording inside the Campbell River Walmart asked a man in the ski mask whether he intends to pay for his purchases, the suspected shoplifter replied, 'ye'.
However, when the suspected shoplifter approached the exit, an elderly woman got suspicious of his intentions and blocked his escape, ripping off his black ski mask. With his face exposed, the man exited the store without the shopping cart and rode his bicycle out of the supermarket parking lot. Darrell Johansen, who shared the video on Facebook, said he reported the incident to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and alleged that even more thefts had occurred at the Campbell River Walmart.
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Johansen wrote in his Facebook post, "There's nothing preventing private citizens from jumping in but it's probably not recommended given the unfortunate incident that happened at our Walmart here a few months ago with that security guard getting stabbed. But I've just had it with this ****." Revealing his suspicions about the individual, he said, "I spotted this guy within five seconds of entering the store and knew he was about to run, and this is the result. Whoever this lady is that ripped his mask off, I'll take you as my partner in crime-fighting anytime. I called the emergency RCMP line and reported the incident but I was told that unless Walmart calls to file a claim nothing would be done."
While people may be annoyed when they witness shoplifters, Constable Maury Tyre of the Campell River RCMP advises that they should not intervene. "It's not something that we can really recommend doing, because there have been some incidents that have definitely escalated to severe violence in the community. Some of the individuals that are stealing and taking things, taking carts full, commonly carry knives or bear spray, and when people take matters into their own hands, they have to understand that there is an inherent risk and even sometimes liability when they do so," he told CHEK.