# What would you do in this situation?



## survival

Today (Black Friday) I witnessed what seemed to me a thief occurance. I was going to Tractor Supply to pick up some galvanized screws for my rabbit hutches and on the other side of Tractor Supply is a Walmart. A man in his 30's-40s was running away from walmart as fast as a 10 year old would run, he came down the hill from walmart and was heading toward tractor supply area. Two guys on cell phones were running behind him talking on the phone and looked like they were telling someone (police) where he was heading and I'm assuming what he looked like. On the way down the hill the guy fell face first and hit the bottom of the road/concrete and got quickly up. At that point I realized he was stealing and ran right past me after I saw about 6 stores down red/blue lights. So, I figured he got caught. I got mad at myself thinking I might had been able to stop him, but of course a million things ran through my mind on legal issues that could have arose.

I locked the doors to my car, put the glock in my back concealed holster and went in and got my screws for the hutches. I actually had a smile on my face for some reason. I guess knowing that I was protected, and that regardless of if I did "save the day", I could had put myself in danger/legal over someone stealing a tickle me elmo. 

So, I'm finding myself asking the question of if I should have been a good samaritan, with the story posted in the local paper or even NRA of concealed weapon holder stops thief in tracks, or if I did the right thing by minding my own business? 

What would you have done?


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## C5GUY

Unless I could have stopped this dude by the use of my hands only I would have not confronted him with my concealed weapon for several reasons. First of all in the event that this guy might have been armed too then the confrontation could turn deadly quickly. Even if you won this gun battle you would still lose since in most states your only legal to use deadly force if your life is threatened and confronting a shop lifter would certainly not fit this scenario. Secondly if you did escalate this event and some bystander is hit by a stray bullet then you would also be liable and at the very best you would have your pants sued off and could even serve some serious time in prison.


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## cybercop106

If you aren't a first hand witness to the crime or requested to help by law enforcement, I would recommend staying out of that type of situation. The store employees are not LE, and can be sued if they make a mistake, and remember so can you! LEOs have Qualified Immunity, but you don't, so it's not worth the liability of getting involved in most situations where it doesn't specifically involve personal safety (not just your own). In most situations I'd recommend just being a good witness in case you're needed.............. 
I'm not a lawyer, just a retired cop, so nothing I say should be construed as legal advice; just 'observation'.


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## survival

C5GUY said:


> Unless I could have stopped this dude by the use of my hands only I would have not confronted him with my concealed weapon for several reasons. First of all in the event that this guy might have been armed too then the confrontation could turn deadly quickly. Even if you won this gun battle you would still lose since in most states your only legal to use deadly force if your life is threatened and confronting a shop lifter would certainly not fit this scenario. Secondly if you did escalate this event and some bystander is hit by a stray bullet then you would also be liable and at the very best you would have your pants sued off and could even serve some serious time in prison.


Every bit of that went through my head in .003 seconds. I agree, it was best to mind my own business. Shame though when the left side of my shoulder has always told me to be a good samaritan.

Something to note though, although I did not say I would be shooting (unless shot at), I would have done a citizens arrest. Look at it this way, what if someone came up to you, grabbed your wallet out of your hand and started running away? Yelling at them is not going to get them to stop, brandishing a firearm in high position could have stopped them? Just wondering what "laws" we have as everyday citizens to prevent thugs from grabbing and running?


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## C5GUY

survival said:


> Every bit of that went through my head in .003 seconds. I agree, it was best to mind my own business. Shame though when the left side of my shoulder has always told me to be a good samaritan.
> 
> Something to note though, although I did not say I would be shooting (unless shot at), I would have done a citizens arrest. Look at it this way, what if someone came up to you, grabbed your wallet out of your hand and started running away? Yelling at them is not going to get them to stop, brandishing a firearm in high position could have stopped them? Just wondering what "laws" we have as everyday citizens to prevent thugs from grabbing and running?


If the dude is already running away to avoid arrest then the likely hood of making a citizen arrest without using some type of force is slim to none. As I am sure you know that you would never pull your firearm unless you are willing to fire if necessary. This event would not warrant this type of force and if it turned into a physical confrontation then there is always the chance that this dude might end up in control of your own weapon...a really bad end result.


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## survival

Very good points noted from both of you. This is exactly what I was wanting to know and tell myself that I did good by not doing nothing. Thanks for your advice.


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## cybercop106

If I couldn't catch the guy and trip him or body slam him from behind, I'd follow him as best I could while calling 911 to provide them as much information as possible. Sure Robbery is a Felony in KY, and you are allowed to make a citizen's arrest (if you can safely catch the guy), but a fleeing criminal is a problem even for LE. If we have back-up nearby, we can radio for assistance, but carrying 30lbs of gear around your waist makes a foot pursuit difficult for most of us. Maybe we should practice with and carry a bola?! ;-)


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## WoadWarrior

Survival.... I think even a cop would hesitate a bit in that situation. It could've been a thief... or it could have been someone who was trying to shop and just pissed off two other mindless Black Friday shoppers who were chasing him to kick his ass.... if you had stopped him, you might have let the other two catch up and would be a party to anything they did to him. The red/blue lights could have been cops responding to save him. The cell phones could be them calling friends for help... or just bragging they were about to trash some guy. 

We have to watch response videos all the time and try to "guess" whether the other officers responded correctly or not. Then... they show us video from another patrol car that completely changes your perspective. And, I'll admit... my first opinion is usually wrong. You only had one side of their story...and didn't see the beginning... So... As a prepper... you did the right thing... stay low key and out of the way... but keep yourself protected.

If it had been a young lady running from two guys... I think all of us might have handled it differently... but, thankfully... that isn't what you asked.


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## survival

WoadWarrior, great opposite perspective. That did cross my mind as well for a split second, and yes, if it was a child or a woman it would have been a different story altogether.


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## LunaticFringeInc

I like cybercops answer the best. As much as I hate to see someone doing dirt get away...it just aint worth the legal liability unless life or death is involved, at least to my way of thinking. There are just too many ways something like that can go wrong and suddenly your the bad guy. I have seen it too many times.


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## Fuzzee

The world that we live in makes me sick at time, because it's obvious the guys a thief, but because of liability and the way we're so anal now with dealing with criminals you pretty much have to let him by and the police deal with grabbing him if they can. This world isn't better because of it either. It's worse. You did what was smart though to save yourself possible trouble over the situation.


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## Irish

I would have done exactly as you did! for the simple fact I did not witness it first hand, now if it was physical violence and he was attacking someone, it becomes a totally different story. what I have noticed in the past, is that minding your own business goes a long way! he obviously was a thief. . . BUT . . . what if he was running for his life and they were calling buddies to catch him? if you did stop him not to mention all the legal stuff that could have went wrong in your way you would have had a lot of court dates to testify police reports to fill out and a lot of unwanted attention! unless there is physical violence I did not see s***! but that's just my 2 cents


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## Lattice

survival said:


> Every bit of that went through my head in .003 seconds. I agree, it was best to mind my own business. Shame though when the left side of my shoulder has always told me to be a good samaritan.
> 
> Something to note though, although I did not say I would be shooting (unless shot at), I would have done a citizens arrest. Look at it this way, what if someone came up to you, grabbed your wallet out of your hand and started running away? Yelling at them is not going to get them to stop, brandishing a firearm in high position could have stopped them? Just wondering what "laws" we have as everyday citizens to prevent thugs from grabbing and running?


Check the laws in your state. Every state in which I have lived only allows for a citizens arrest if the citizen reasonably believes that the criminal has committed a felony, and some only for a forceable felony.


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## LunaticFringeInc

Exactly what I was kind of alluding to with out the risk of being a "Sea Lawyer". There are so many if's, and's or but's to be considered its a mine field to negociate making that fine line hard to walk without possibly crossing it. If you do cross it, they are probably scott free and off the hook while you end up being crucified! You gotta remember, blame is better to give than receive and everyone one is quick to point the finger.


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## Denton

This is just my opinion. Take it for what it is worth.

If I see a foot chase, how do I know who is the good guy or the bad guy? If the runner has done something wrong, how bad was it?

Sure, if I witness assault, rape, robbery-the big ones, I'll get involved. To do otherwise is immoral and inexcusable. In the scenario you described, I think you did exactly right. You don't know what happened, all you know is two guys were chasing another.


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## WoadWarrior

Most of you keep saying it's "obvious" he was a thief... and that is a very dangerous statement since there is nothing obvious about it. Even Irish mentioned he'd react differently "if it was physical violence", but be cautious on this one as well.... If you come across two guys fighting, with one guy on top punching the other, you can't just jump in and assume the guy on top is the bad guy. The guy on the bottom may have started it and may have a weapon and the guy on top is doing everything in his power to keep the guy from drawing and using the weapon. If you jump in and stop a fight... you have to be able to control both opponents since you don't know who the aggressor is. Both private citizens and cops get in trouble all the time for misinterpreting what is going on. Sure... first glance suggests he's a thief running from two guys chasing him... but again... and I emphasize... you don't have all the facts and your actions have legal (and maybe physical) consequences.

Survival... you were armed. Do you really want to be physically engaging in this situation? If it became a grapple... with you in the middle... you just put a gun in range of at least one aggressor... and maybe two.


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## sargedog

Well first of all the Wally World security shouldn't have been chasing him that far. They are taught that if they get to a certain point let them go, most don't go by those rules. When I did this job there were a couple of situations where 2 of my co-workers were injured. One was stabbed in the chest and the other broke his arm, they both recovered and went back to work. It just gets to be a mindset not to let them get away. We had people try to help the shoplifter not knowing what we were doing (thought we were beating/robbing someone) when in reality they were fighting and we were putting them in handcuffs. I worked in Kentucky once and they fought harder up there because it is a felony for shoplifters. You would be shocked at some of the things I saw during this job, just not worth $8.33 an hour to take a chance on getting shot/stabbed.

You did right just let them handle it, people get crazy when they think they are going to jail. Never know what they might do to get away, you don't want to get injured or worse over merchandise. Wal-Mart can afford to take a little loss.


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## Denton

You see A chasing B with a gun. B runs into a room, A runs behind him. You hear a shot, hear a scream and A runs out. You look into room and see that B has been shot dead.
Did A shoot B?

Never assume.


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## Lattice

On the other side of the coin. I was once stopped by loss prevention. They thought the saw me shoplift, when in reality they saw me put my cell back in my purse. If I were a bitch I would have been able to retire long ago. I understand why Walmart has them. But really do not agree with having minimally trained individuals (please do not think this is a slight on you sargedog) who are not sworn officers given the ability to chase someone down and cuff them. 

Here LP can not chase or cuff anyone. All they can do is stop you at the door and tell you not to leave. If that person is not inclined to listen to a civilian then there is nothing they can do to stop them. If they do stop, they can not legally conduct a search without consent. If you tell them that you won't submit to a search, then they have to hope you will wait for a LEO to show up. If the LEO gets there and they did not catch you on tape, he does not have PC for a search.

There was an incident a while ago in the papers where a woman did steal a lot of stuff, and when she was told not to leave, she left anyway. They had her on tape. But as she chose to walk off. The couldn't do anything to her. Even though they took down her plates, and the cops went to question her she played it smart. "Yes officer, I did take a bunch of stuff. But started to feel guilty about it, so I put it back before I left." 

See, its not shoplifting until you walk out the doors with it.


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## WoadWarrior

Lattice... In my mind... you are correct... they are not supposed to physically restrain you, primarily because they are acting as store representatives and not as private citizens. I.e., the store assumes the responsibility for any illegal act by their LP folks... or even just the financial burden if they get sued. 

On the other other hand... at least in my state... if a shoplifter physically contacts anyone... even to push LP out of the way to get out the door... that physical contact changes the crime from shoplifting to robbery. And.... the doors of just about every store are videotaped... giving an LEO PC to search. Of course... an LEO doesn't need PC for a stop... which gives him time to view the video. And... the physical contact at the door could be considered assault (an arrestable offense)... and now you have a SILCA situation (search incident to a lawful custodial arrest)... if store property is found... they upgrade the shoplifting and assault to robbery... and the guy/gal gets 3 hots and a cot for free.


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## sargedog

@Lattice the person who stopped you was probably fired, that's the way it was when I was doing it. We couldn't go by the cameras, we had to keep constant visual and see what was being concealed and where the person put it and never lose visual on that person. They had no right to stop you. We were licensed by the state as unarmed guards, so if we stopped someone they were held until police arrived and took over. But this has been 10 years ago who knows how the law has changed. And yes if someone was stopped and not shoplifting they could have sued and most likely won.


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## shotlady

i dont usually go looking for trouble. theft- naw, let'em have it.
if some one was beating some one yes id step in with what ever force i had to make it stop.
material things are just that. insure them and move on.
i wouldnt have done it any different, you coulda got hurt or hurt the guy and he sues you. or hell even the cops could come in and say you intervening is criminal . how stupid. but it happens.


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## Leon

survival said:


> Today (Black Friday) I witnessed what seemed to me a thief occurance. I was going to Tractor Supply to pick up some galvanized screws for my rabbit hutches and on the other side of Tractor Supply is a Walmart. A man in his 30's-40s was running away from walmart as fast as a 10 year old would run, he came down the hill from walmart and was heading toward tractor supply area. Two guys on cell phones were running behind him talking on the phone and looked like they were telling someone (police) where he was heading and I'm assuming what he looked like. On the way down the hill the guy fell face first and hit the bottom of the road/concrete and got quickly up. At that point I realized he was stealing and ran right past me after I saw about 6 stores down red/blue lights. So, I figured he got caught. I got mad at myself thinking I might had been able to stop him, but of course a million things ran through my mind on legal issues that could have arose.
> 
> I locked the doors to my car, put the glock in my back concealed holster and went in and got my screws for the hutches. I actually had a smile on my face for some reason. I guess knowing that I was protected, and that regardless of if I did "save the day", I could had put myself in danger/legal over someone stealing a tickle me elmo.
> 
> So, I'm finding myself asking the question of if I should have been a good samaritan, with the story posted in the local paper or even NRA of concealed weapon holder stops thief in tracks, or if I did the right thing by minding my own business?
> 
> What would you have done?


You could have pointed the gun at him and I bet, as adrenalized as he was he probably would have just kept running past you no matter what. When you are that hopped up you aren't thinking much, if at all.


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## ibewbull

Short and sweet. "I never mind my own business. "
We all need to be involved and vigilant.
If I only cared about me I would not carry a gun. Have a fire extinguisher or gotten certs in First Aid CPR.
The rules are treat folks as you wish to be treated. Use only what is necessary to solve the problem. Even though I hate wally world with a passion I would have acted in some way.


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## Lattice

sargedog said:


> @Lattice the person who stopped you was probably fired, that's the way it was when I was doing it. We couldn't go by the cameras, we had to keep constant visual and see what was being concealed and where the person put it and never lose visual on that person. They had no right to stop you. We were licensed by the state as unarmed guards, so if we stopped someone they were held until police arrived and took over. But this has been 10 years ago who knows how the law has changed. And yes if someone was stopped and not shoplifting they could have sued and most likely won.


They were not fired.

Constant visual? Please sir do not make me laugh. Say I shoplifted, you saw me do it, then rounded a corner. For half a second you lost sight of me. But many would count that as constant visual. In that half second I dump an item. Then again and again and again.

But I fear that you missed the full intention of my previous post.



ibewbull said:


> Short and sweet. "I never mind my own business. "
> We all need to be involved and vigilant.
> If I only cared about me I would not carry a gun. Have a fire extinguisher or gotten certs in First Aid CPR.
> The rules are treat folks as you wish to be treated. Use only what is necessary to solve the problem. Even though I hate wally world with a passion I would have acted in some way.


I used to subscribe to that mentality. But then I learned that you can not treat everyone the same. Years ago I worked for an outfit that had a policy that said that you must treat people only as they need to be treated.

See, one person may react positively by being yelled at and chastised, whereas the next may react badly and become worse. This is something that any real leader learned long ago. See this follows with the belief that there is the bottom ten percent, and the upper ninety percent. So, as this is, there are essentially no bad followers, only bad leaders. And it relates easily to this discussion. Because as has been mentioned, you do not know who the offending party is. Take the woman who was abducted in London earlier this year. She got into a cab and then the cab picked up another person. A few miles down the road the second person (who was working with the cabbie) pulled a knife and tried to abduct her. She broke the window then climbed out and ran down the road. Cabbie and guy took chase several "good citizens" stopped her because they thought she ran from paying the fare. Guys grabbed her, constables were nowhere in sight. They threw her in the cab and took off.

She spent the next two years as a sexual slave.

Those good citizens thought they were doing a good thing and cost that woman her freedom.

See someone on the street beating someone else? You shoot? You may have just shot a person who was being robbed that fought back.

Please. In the name of the good spirits, don't intervene without knowing what is going on.

A guy could have been confronted with a knife or a gun or several people, and fought back. When you happened by you saw him continue on because he reasonably believed that if he stopped that he would die. You shoot him. You just killed the person who was just walking down the street trying to get home to their family.

You are a porcupine, not a sheepdog.

Am I saying that if you are armed, and see a person on their knees with a gun to their head that you should not act? NO! I am not.


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## bigdogbuc

You did everything right! Sometimes it is best to be another caller to 911 as an additional set of eyes and ears. You could have run into some serious issues had he not been a shoplifter. Perhaps he was actually a victim? A million possible scenarios. 

I remember as a young, off duty police officer, I was sitting in the middle of what I thought was a robbery. A running vehicle behind the liquor store in a little parking area with a driver and passenger, a lookout at each end of the building and one suspicious looking character approaching the door. Then they made their move, with the "bandit" hightailing it out of the store. I made my move. Gun drawn. The vehicle took off like a bat out of hell, the lookouts ran for parts unknown. My robbery suspect; he dropped to the ground when I told him to, pee'd himself, begged me not to shoot him as he was only 15 years old. I asked what in the hell he was doing; he rolled over and unveiled the loot; a life size cardboard cutout of the "Frugal Gourmet" who was to be making an appearance at the high end wine shop he had just "robbed". I holstered my weapon, picked him up and made him go home. He asked where his ride went and I told him they ditched him when they saw me pull my gun and yell "Police Officer!" He quietly thanked me and walked away. The Frugal Gourmet was returned, uninjured and a little wet, case closed. 

So yeah, you did great!


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## JDE101

Unless you have witnessed the whole situation from the beginning, it is best to call 911, observe as much details as you can, such as description, clothing, make/model of vehicle, plate number, etc., and be a good witness for the police when they show up. And DO NOT draw your weapon under any circumstance unless your life or the life of a loved one is in immediate danger!!! Not even to help someone else, unless you have seen it all from the beginning and KNOW all of the details. 

Over on the defensive carry forum a while back there was a link to a news report where an off duty police officer saw what he thought was a life threatening attack on an individual. He shot and killed the "attacker", only to discover that he had killed an undercover DEA agent who was fighting with and defending himself against a felon drug dealer! So unless you KNOW all of the details and have seen the situation from it's inception, it is best to just be a good witness and not get involved otherwise. You might just interfere and "help" the wrong person!


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## usav8er

I agree with cybercop. You don't have all the facts about what's going on. How do you know the guy wasn't running away from some thugs intent on doing him harm? Unless it directly involves you, my advice is stay out of it.


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## MI.oldguy

survival said:


> Today (Black Friday) I witnessed what seemed to me a thief occurance. I was going to Tractor Supply to pick up some galvanized screws for my rabbit hutches and on the other side of Tractor Supply is a Walmart. A man in his 30's-40s was running away from walmart as fast as a 10 year old would run, he came down the hill from walmart and was heading toward tractor supply area. Two guys on cell phones were running behind him talking on the phone and looked like they were telling someone (police) where he was heading and I'm assuming what he looked like. On the way down the hill the guy fell face first and hit the bottom of the road/concrete and got quickly up. At that point I realized he was stealing and ran right past me after I saw about 6 stores down red/blue lights. So, I figured he got caught. I got mad at myself thinking I might had been able to stop him, but of course a million things ran through my mind on legal issues that could have arose.
> 
> I locked the doors to my car, put the glock in my back concealed holster and went in and got my screws for the hutches. I actually had a smile on my face for some reason. I guess knowing that I was protected, and that regardless of if I did "save the day", I could had put myself in danger/legal over someone stealing a tickle me elmo.
> 
> So, I'm finding myself asking the question of if I should have been a good samaritan, with the story posted in the local paper or even NRA of concealed weapon holder stops thief in tracks, or if I did the right thing by minding my own business?
> 
> What would you have done?


Left it alone,I dont need to be a hero.the leos were there and other civilians so I would have not get involved unless,the perp messed with us.


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## Go2ndAmend

You did the right thing by not getting involved because you didn't really know what was happening and it appeared to be only a theft. As for drawing a weapon, no way. I don't care if somebody steals right in front of you. I have lawfully carried concealed for almost 20 years now and have only draw my firearm one time, and even then, no one but me even knew I had. It was a situation were a 1/2 naked man was waving a machete at a LEO on a downtown street. He was still a good 50 feet from the LEO and I happed to be across the street in my car. I drew and was ready to react as the situation dictated. Fortunately the LEO used less-lethal to good results and the guy went face first after getting tazed. My advise is to never draw your weapon for any purpose unless you have the lawful right to use deadly force and intend to use it. That means you or someone else is about to die or suffer great bodily injury unless you react with lethal force. No property crime would ever justify such force being used, or even threated to be used. You might just be the one to escalate a relatively minor crime into a much more serious crime with you ending up the criminal. Be smart and stay covert.


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## Deebo

too many possibilities to even think about drawing my weapon, not an option for me, could escalate a footrace into a shooting. Now, I may have physically stopped him, but weapon would not be involved. Hypathetical or hindsight or what if's aside, I feel you did the right thing. We can rehash it to peices, drug deal, attempted robbery, undercover LEO running from two badguys, any of a thousand possibilities..


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## Nuklhed

I wouldn't have done a damn thing. It's Walmarts loss-prevention department's problem at that point. The ONLY thing I would have done is protect me/my family.


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## PaulS

You really don't want to get involved unless a felony has been committed. If you witness a felony and move to stop it you are within you legal rights but if its not a felony you can be sued for unlawful arrest or detainment.


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## bennettvm

I was in a similar situation when I was 17 - a guy grabbed a lady's purse in the mall and ran. He went by me and I tackled him, held him down until security came a few seconds later. No gun, no real struggle. He was shocked mostly. 

Looking back - I would do it the same way. I think people talk a great game, but when something comes up they don't back it up. Lawsuit or not, the right thing is still the right thing in my book.


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## PaulS

At 19 I did the same thing - I didn't have anything to lose so it was fine. Now, I have a wife, own a home and some land, three cars, about $50000 in tools, and a "few" guns and a bunch of other stuff (no bank involved). At 62, not only am I wiser but, I have more to lose than I could get back.


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## wallyLOZ

You did the right thing in not acting. We must always consider the possible consequences to ourselves and families. If the runner pulled a gun and shot you before you could react, how would your family react to the loss of you? 
A story I heard at a firearms training class was about a homeowner confronting and killing an armed intruder. The criminal system did not prosecute, but the family did. In civil court he was still found to be in the right, but it cost him $70,000 in legal exspenses to prove it. Only shoot if you or a loved are in imminent danger.


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## rikkitikki

He did something a lot worse than theft for that many people to be chasing him. WalMart doesn't chase thieves. They are taught never to follow them outside.


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## lancestar2

you know I saw the same thing once but it was on the edge of downtown. I saw one guy running a guy following him on a cellphone and another guy running behind him. (looked like the second guy was not a fast runner) he didn't come running past me and there wasn't much I could do I'm no where in good enough shape to do any fast running like they were doing lol. But I did think about that situation alot! 

I know society teaches us to not get involved and teaches up to just lot the police handle things ect ect. but I think had he ran past me I would have tried to slow him down you know armys wide open ask him a question like "HEY ARE YOU OK?" or "DO YOU NEED HELP" of course he was the bad guy but I didn't want to be threatening him. If he did hit me well I have a good excuse all I was doing was checking to see if he was OK!  My only plan would be to slow the guy up for a few seconds to give the guy running after him a better shot at getting him. What they do to him is there problem. As I grow older that voice in side of my head saying "DO WHAT YOU KNOW IS RIGHT" gets louder and louder! I start to worry less and less about being sued and more about having to live with myself and if I know I did what I thought was right I think that's the best option. If you feel you don't want to get involved then don't. Whatever you feel is the right thing to do for the situation of course you don't have much time to react.

Now if it was a lady and a guy running with a purse and I was in shape well CITIZEN'S ARREST! ::rambo:: LOL


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## Seneca

Under the circumstances what you did...was the best you could do...

Observe and then report it to the police...you did report it? 

What you saw was one piece of the what happened puzzle they will be putting together, the more pieces they have the more complete the picture.


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## Prep4Worst

With reading only your post I have to say you did the right thing. You went home safe, and that is the goal of every law abiding citizen. We should only involve ourself if required to protect someone or ourself. If someone was at risk I would feel differently. Sounds like he got a good lesson if only by the concrete, and I would pay to have seen it.

You put it better than I ever heard before, no Tickle Me Elmo or any item is worth harming anyone or risking your safety. Well done.



survival said:


> Today (Black Friday) I witnessed what seemed to me a thief occurance. I was going to Tractor Supply to pick up some galvanized screws for my rabbit hutches and on the other side of Tractor Supply is a Walmart. A man in his 30's-40s was running away from walmart as fast as a 10 year old would run, he came down the hill from walmart and was heading toward tractor supply area. Two guys on cell phones were running behind him talking on the phone and looked like they were telling someone (police) where he was heading and I'm assuming what he looked like. On the way down the hill the guy fell face first and hit the bottom of the road/concrete and got quickly up. At that point I realized he was stealing and ran right past me after I saw about 6 stores down red/blue lights. So, I figured he got caught. I got mad at myself thinking I might had been able to stop him, but of course a million things ran through my mind on legal issues that could have arose.
> 
> I locked the doors to my car, put the glock in my back concealed holster and went in and got my screws for the hutches. I actually had a smile on my face for some reason. I guess knowing that I was protected, and that regardless of if I did "save the day", I could had put myself in danger/legal over someone stealing a tickle me elmo.
> 
> So, I'm finding myself asking the question of if I should have been a good samaritan, with the story posted in the local paper or even NRA of concealed weapon holder stops thief in tracks, or if I did the right thing by minding my own business?
> 
> What would you have done?


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## Mike45

I have witnessed similar things, and thought about doing something. But possibly placing my family or myself in danger over a “thing” was not worth it. Had he run at me wanting my help or possibly my vehicle, I would have done what was necessary.


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## BamaBoy101

survival said:


> Today (Black Friday) I witnessed what seemed to me a thief occurance. I was going to Tractor Supply to pick up some galvanized screws for my rabbit hutches and on the other side of Tractor Supply is a Walmart. A man in his 30's-40s was running away from walmart as fast as a 10 year old would run, he came down the hill from walmart and was heading toward tractor supply area. Two guys on cell phones were running behind him talking on the phone and looked like they were telling someone (police) where he was heading and I'm assuming what he looked like. On the way down the hill the guy fell face first and hit the bottom of the road/concrete and got quickly up. At that point I realized he was stealing and ran right past me after I saw about 6 stores down red/blue lights. So, I figured he got caught. I got mad at myself thinking I might had been able to stop him, but of course a million things ran through my mind on legal issues that could have arose.
> 
> I locked the doors to my car, put the glock in my back concealed holster and went in and got my screws for the hutches. I actually had a smile on my face for some reason. I guess knowing that I was protected, and that regardless of if I did "save the day", I could had put myself in danger/legal over someone stealing a tickle me elmo.
> 
> So, I'm finding myself asking the question of if I should have been a good samaritan, with the story posted in the local paper or even NRA of concealed weapon holder stops thief in tracks, or if I did the right thing by minding my own business?
> 
> What would you have done?


Several years ago I came upon a cop getting the shit kicked out of him by a suspect. I interceded and subdued the suspect breaking his collar bone and dislocating his shoulder. The cop was grateful but I had to pay the criminal $15,000 for his injuries. Think long and hard before you act and yes, I would do it again!


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## 6811

I am an active LEO in Maryland. I was in PA one time when a shop lifter started running out of a homedepot store and being chased by the store security. I could not help out because shop lifting is not a serious crime. If I put my hands on the bad guy and he claims that he was injured or suffered pain and discomfort due to me placing my hands on him to apprehend him. I would have lots that battle in court and I would have to pay the asshole in question. also, the sad part was... the store security got fired... not for having a criminal steal something in the store and get away, but for chasing the bad guy. the company dont want the liability. why hire store security if you wont allow him to apprehend bad guys


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