A TJ Maxx customer was attacked online after he attempted to stop a shoplifter in Mira Loma, California.
In the now-viral video, the man can be seen throwing the shoplifter to the ground after she tried to walk away with bags full of merchandise that she did not pay for.
Instead of being thanked for stopping a crime in progress, the man was maligned on social media, with people implying that he was motivated by racism and should have minded his own business.
Multiple respondents said that he committed assault and should be charged accordingly.
Even though that is shoplifting. That man assaulted that girl. He should have just minded his own business. And got a license plate number and description of the get away car.
— harold beckwith (@harold92335) May 1, 2023
Another user attempted to impugn the good samaritan’s motives, saying that he ‘just wanted an excuse’ to physically harm someone rather than stopping shoplifters from stealing from stores in his community.
It’s not even his job, he clearly just wanted an excuse to beat a girl (or woman, not sure how old she is) down to the ground because if he went after someone his own size, he knew he would lose. It’s not right to steal but it’s worse to assault someone
— Lҽყα ꜰᴀʟᴄᴏɴ 💕💙🏁 (@LeyaFalcon) May 2, 2023
Another user implied that he was racist, saying that he ‘just wanted an excuse to beat up a black woman’ before calling people defending the man ‘insurrectionists’.
right, he was assaulting her over some purses (that weren’t his). He just wanted an excuse to beat up a black woman.
Everyone agreeing with it clearly wants to do the same!
( i don’t want these insurrectionists snowflakes clogging my mentions, I’m gonna just mute this now! 😘) pic.twitter.com/iRfbpCUiyk
— So Good We Named It! (@SoGoodWeNamedlt) May 2, 2023
Still, others defended him, with one person saying that while it may not be ‘worth it’ for people to stop shoplifters, there will be no stores left in communities of people do not step up.
I know its not worth for anyone to do that. But if no one do anything soon there will be NO stores in the neighborhood!
— King of Social Anxiety 社交恐懼之王 (@comegetmeatonce) May 2, 2023
Another user pointed out that the actions of shoplifters can negatively affect people in the community with increased prices, before saying that the man should be ‘given an award’.
https://twitter.com/BravoTeaTime/status/1653215650737971201
The video of the man stopping the shoplifter can be seen below.
WATCH:
ABC 7 News Reports–
JUST IN: good Samaritan attempts to stop thieves at TJ Maxx in California..
JOE’S AMERICA..
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) May 2, 2023
A customer was captured on video taking matters into his own hands and knocking an alleged thief to the ground as she tried to walk away with bags of merchandise from a T.J. Maxx store in Mira Loma.
Bystander footage showed the man confront the suspected shoplifter and reach for her bags, which set off a scuffle between the two near the entrance.
A witness said the altercation happened Sunday around 1:30 p.m. at a T.J. Maxx store on Limonite Avenue.
After one woman leaves, a man jumps in to stop the other woman from walking away. A brief struggle ensues and the man eventually knocks the woman to the ground, and she appears to leave without the two bags she tried to take.