Would you chase a shoplifter?

[seether]

I witnessed a shoplifting today. Guy picked stuff off a shelf thinking no one was looking and was about to walk out the door. I yell ‘HEY!’ at him, he takes off, he has a pedal bike laying on the floor right outside the store. He has barely enough time to get up on it, I’m standing directly behind him as he gets on, he starts peddling and I’m chasing - almost immediately he loses footing missing the pedal, his bike falls and him with it presumably sustaining pain, the two stolen items land on the floor behind him almost into my arms - I gather these and return to the store.

This felt like one of the most badass moments of my life, however in hindsight I’m considering a lot of scenarios where this could have ended badly for me.

Would you chase a shoplifter?

[kamikazekeeg]

Absolutely never.  It's a terrible idea to chase down a shoplifter.  It's not your job and its not worth getting hurt over something that won't hurt a store to lose.  Certainly point out a shoplifter, but there's no good reason to go after one, you are just fortunate the shoplifter didn't have a knife or worse on him and didn't try to fight you.

[bigbossman]

Being that I used to be a full time mall security officer (during my 20's), I've witnessed many shoplifter chases & have been involved in a few. Most of the time, I would sit back & observe (that's what we were supposed to do).

One of the major stores most people would steal Tommy Hilfiger clothes from was Parisian (which was owned by Sak's Fifth Avenue at the time). I was patrolling in the security vehicle & loss prevention radioed us, stating that a shoplifter was running out of the store & went across the road, technically off of mall property. I got onto the road, sped up a little got along side him, while we were on a small bridge. There was a road immediately after the bridge on the right. I got just ahead of him & turned onto that road & timed it perfectly. The shoplifter was looking behind him, slammed into the side of the security vehicle I was driving, started reeling backwards, & that gave the loss prevention guy enough time to catch up & tackle him. It took me, another officer, the loss prevention officer, & a bystander to help subdue him. Once he was handcuffed, another loss prevention guy pulled up in his pickup truck. I helped him into that back of the pickup, & drove back to Parisian. By that time one of the Mobile Police officers got there & noticed that the shoplifter was very tuckered out. The officer asked if I ran him over. I said "No. He ran into me."

Looking back on that, if my timing had been off, I could have severely injured or killed him. I'm just glad that no one got hurt.

[oldgamerz]

Absolutely never.  It's a terrible idea to chase down a shoplifter.  It's not your job and its not worth getting hurt over something that won't hurt a store to lose.  Certainly point out a shoplifter, but there's no good reason to go after one, you are just fortunate the shoplifter didn't have a knife or worse on him and didn't try to fight you.

Yes what @kamikazekeeg said is good advice
 

I've heard and think I even seen some women that steal clothes, by stuffing it into their back hips at places like a goodwill shop or even other clothing stores, personally I have a grudge against people that steal,

 I would like to punch people sometimes but don't for my own damn good. I don't hit anyone but that is how much it pisses me off. speaking of people that do that, a family friend knows another similar person who keeps stealing clothes and then throwing then into the trash. And, when they get dirty. Instead of cleaning the clothes they already stole. Instead they steal more and keep doing that over and over again. yes they are caught but then get out of punishment they go to a new clothing store and do that some more. Until the next time they are caught.

Would I chase a shoplifter? well I would like to but the problem is if I mess with the wrong person, aka a person with criminal allies or friends. Then I become a target, like what happen to me when I was sixteen, Still to this day me and my family are victims of cyber criminals who harassed me for over 16 years and counting. it took 5 years before I could get law enforcement on my side, lost 3 gaming computers in this process too.

[telly]

Absolutely never.  It's a terrible idea to chase down a shoplifter.  It's not your job and its not worth getting hurt over something that won't hurt a store to lose.  Certainly point out a shoplifter, but there's no good reason to go after one, you are just fortunate the shoplifter didn't have a knife or worse on him and didn't try to fight you.

Especially if you're in America and you don't know if someone's packin' a piece underneath their jacket or something.

[pzeke]

Would you chase a shoplifter?

Hell no. That's not my problem.

[Cartagia]

[dakooldood]

One time I went to Home Depot and as I was walking in, a guy was running out with a set of power tools. Ran right past me with 2 workers chasing him, then jumped into the back of a car sitting in front of the store and sped off. I started to feel bad about not doing anything but one of the workers came back and said "At least they were dumb enough to park with their plates right in front of our cameras."

[gummo]

Back in the day I worked at a Sears store in a questionable neighborhood . Store loss prevention was extremely busy . One day they chased a shoplifter in a trench coat outside and a sawed-off shotgun fell out of his jacket onto the ground . They gave up pursuit at that point .

[Warmsignal]

Back in the day I worked at a Sears store in a questionable neighborhood . Store loss prevention was extremely busy . One day they chased a shoplifter in a trench coat outside and a sawed-off shotgun fell out of his jacket onto the ground . They gave up pursuit at that point .

Sears, really? Why not a bank? The felony charge can't be worth whatever is inside of a Sears department store.

[pzeke]

One time I went to Home Depot and as I was walking in, a guy was running out with a set of power tools. Ran right past me with 2 workers chasing him, then jumped into the back of a car sitting in front of the store and sped off. I started to feel bad about not doing anything but one of the workers came back and said "At least they were dumb enough to park with their plates right in front of our cameras."

You know, I've actually pondered if I ever were in a situation like that to just slide my foot in their direction so that they trip. But truth be told, I'll more than likely won't do anything; they could very well end up suing me if they get hurt. Plus, like I already said, it's not my problem.

Sears, really? Why not a bank? The felony charge can't be worth whatever is inside of a Sears department store.

You expect a petty thief to have a high IQ?

[98dgreen]

Back in the day I worked at a Sears store in a questionable neighborhood . Store loss prevention was extremely busy . One day they chased a shoplifter in a trench coat outside and a sawed-off shotgun fell out of his jacket onto the ground . They gave up pursuit at that point .

Sears, really? Why not a bank? The felony charge can't be worth whatever is inside of a Sears department store.

Well a Sears probably has less security than a bank and it would probably only be a misdemeanor not a felony.

[Warmsignal]

Back in the day I worked at a Sears store in a questionable neighborhood . Store loss prevention was extremely busy . One day they chased a shoplifter in a trench coat outside and a sawed-off shotgun fell out of his jacket onto the ground . They gave up pursuit at that point .

Sears, really? Why not a bank? The felony charge can't be worth whatever is inside of a Sears department store.

Well a Sears probably has less security than a bank and it would probably only be a misdemeanor not a felony.

I mean, if you're gonna bring a deadly weapon into a Sears I'd think their intent would be to use it for a robbery, an aggravated robbery which could very easily turn into an assault with a deadly weapon. All felony crimes. But from what I gather, so much as possession that type of gun, a "sawed off shotgun" in the US is actually a felony crime as well, they're illegal.

[pzeke]

Yes, it's a felony. No firearm would've been a misdemeanor.

We have a saying where I come from for these type of individuals; what do you expect from a jackass (as in a male donkey)? A kiss or a kick?

[98dgreen]

I meant he would be less likely to have to pull it out at a Sears than he would at a bank.