A pair of shoes were kept in the back of an Atlanta police officer’s car for months until the officer finally came across the barefoot man for whom they were intended.

Officer S. Thomas has been lauded for her act of kindness after she was caught on camera giving the shoes to their rightful owner in the parking lot of a grocery store.

A few months ago, Thomas noticed a man walking around barefoot during a rainy day while working her Zone 5 shift, APD wrote in a Facebook post. After asking him if he would like a pair of shoes, he said he would.

Zone 5 Officer S. Thomas

Credit: Atlanta Police Department

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Credit: Atlanta Police Department

Thomas went into a nearby store to buy a pair of shoes only to find the man had left the area while she was inside.

She decided to keep the shoes in the trunk of her car in case she ever crossed paths with the man again.

It took months, but as Thomas worked an extra job at a local grocery store, she spotted the same man walking outside barefoot.

She quickly went to her car, retrieved the shoes and handed them over. A bystander saw the interaction and recorded a video that was later posted to an Instagram account.

At the time, Thomas did not have her body-worn camera recording and was not looking for publicity, APD said.

“She was not aware that she was being filmed during her act of kindness. She simply saw a person with a need that she could fill and did so,” the department said.

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