A man in Peachtree City, Georgia, stepped in to assist an officer who was chasing an alleged shoplifter through a parking lot recently.
Surveillance footage showed the moment when a Walmart shopper used his grocery cart to stop the suspect from evading police, according to WBTV.
As the officer with the Peachtree City Police Department ran after the man, identified as 41-year-old Marcus Smith, a man pushing his cart through the parking lot turned to see what all the commotion was about.
When he realized Smith was running from the policeman, he turned the cart toward him and shoved it in his way, which caused the suspect to tumble over it.
The cart’s contents flew out and spread all over the pavement as the officer ran up behind Smith and grabbed him.
Once he was handcuffed, several policemen and a bystander helped the citizen pick up his groceries and place them back in the shopping basket.
Later, the suspect was charged with felony shoplifting and obstruction. Thankfully, no one was injured during the incident.
In a Facebook post Thursday, the Peachtree City Police Department and Peachtree City Fire Rescue thanked the unknown man and offered a word of caution to community members.
“Again, while we are eternally grateful for this citizen’s quick thinking and impeccable timing, we never encourage anybody to intervene in a police situation,” the post read.
“If the decision is made to do so, please consider the safety of yourself and all those around you as a priority,” the department concluded.
Sgt. Chris Hyatt also praised the man for being aware of his surroundings and calmly observing the pursuit.
“When he realized it was coming towards him, he made up his mind and sent the shop cart where it needed to be and the officer was right on the back of the heels of the offender and was able to take him into custody without any injury to anybody, including the offender,” he stated.
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