A video of a lone man taking on a blatant shoplifter at Target went viral. The man was so frustrated by the rampant crime in California that he decided to fight back when a shoplifter attempted to leave with over $2,000 worth of merchandise.
A video went viral on social media showing a frustrated shopper confronting a thief and telling him to get a job. The incident reportedly happened at a San Francisco Bay Area Target store in Colma, California.
The shoplifter, who was later identified as Samuel Balcorta of San Francisco, was caught trying to exit the Target store with stolen items in a large bin when the unidentified hero took action. In the video which was shared on social media by Henry Lee, a crime reporter at KTVU, the hero can be heard screaming at the 28-year-old thief, “Stop that sh*t, man! Get a f*cking job!”
Reporter Henry Lee tracked down the citizen known only as “Tiger” who said he didn’t hesitate to pounce. “I’m not a hero, I just feel good doing the right thing,” Tiger said. “If you see something wrong, you better do the right thing. I just flipped the box [full of stolen items] so people can see what’s going on so they can tell which one is the bad guy.” The shoplifter was stealing 40 to 50 pairs of jeans worth over $2,000 dollars he had placed in a blue bin, KTVU reported.
Tiger followed Balcorta to the parking lot where he dropped the jeans and tried to get onto a bus. Later, the Colma Police Department (CPD) confirmed that they arrested Balcorta, who is a repeat offender. “We are aware of the video circulating of a theft that occurred,” the CPD posted on social media. “The person seen confronting the suspect was not a store employee. He was a citizen shopping at the store who intervened because, as he told the officers, he was frustrated with the increase in thefts. He called police and we responded.”
Tiger had his frustrations confirmed. The suspect, Samuel Balcorta, a 28-year-old San Francisco resident, was out on bail on a prior felony charge when he was located, arrested, and booked into jail for burglary and grand theft for this crime at Target.
In another post on social media, the Colma Police Department addressed the videographer’s allegation by saying, “Unlike the videographer’s belief that we ‘can’t do anything,’ we can and will respond. However, there are times we aren’t notified about crimes in progress, or even some when we are, or on-view it occurring ourselves, but the victim does not wish to seek prosecution.”
The police continued, “We understand the citizen’s frustration with the increased thefts and overall crime seen throughout the Bay Area (and California), but we also need to warn against witnesses intervening and putting themselves in a potentially dangerous situation.”
The CPD added: “The suspects in these thefts are often repeat offenders, some who carry weapons, are part of an organized retail theft crew, and/or have ties to violent gangs. While we appreciate the assistance, we want you to maintain your safety and be the best witness you can for us.”
Meanwhile, the shopper’s confrontation with the thief attracted a lot of attention online, with a Twitter user suggesting, “If we had more people like this brave individual, we could combat the problem. The thugs know that we’ve become weak, and they are completely taking advantage of that. This is awesome, and I am immensely proud of that guy.”
A second Twitter user noted, “Dangerous But Bravo 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽.” A third person said, “This guy is legit. That’s how you f*** these scumbags up. Catch them loaded up with merchandise and they become unarmed. That’s when they get caught slipping. I give respect to the guy telling him to get a f****** job. He’s right! Now keep him locked up!”
