Things quickly escalated at Walgreens Alameda in California when a witness decided to confront an accused shoplifter.
Kevin, the bystander, decided to record after he witnessed someone stuffing a backpack filled with merchandise. Kevin asked another customer to film him as the alleged shoplifter started walking toward the exit.
Kevin tackled the man and declared, “a!” “citizen’s arrest.”
The suspect started screaming. “Leave me alone!”I called for help. Kevin was placed in a headlock when an accomplice appeared. Kevin rammed the alleged accomplice to death.
Kevin replied, “Why did he take on the man?” “It was simple. I had enough.”
Police say Walgreens decided to not bring charges against the suspect or his accomplice.
“It makes me feel like a sucker. It makes me feel like the system is even more broken. It burns me to the core,”Kevin stated.
Kevin expressed concern that he might face criminal charges in relation to the incident.
“I don’t encourage anyone to ever get involved in a perceived crime in progress, because they don’t have the tools that a police officer would have if they were on scene,”Cheryl Dorsey is a former LAPD sergeant.
The Alameda Police Department says they encourage people to record suspected shoplifting incidents, but don’t recommend getting physically involved.