Peachtree City police say a quick-thinking shopper with a buggy helped them catch a shoplifting suspect.
Video released by the police department Thursday shows the shopper pushing his cart at a suspect who was running away from officers on Jan. 18.
The suspect and another man were trying to steal big ticket items from the Home Depot on Ga. 54, Peachtree City police spokesman Sgt. Chris Hyatt said.
A loss prevention officer at the Home Depot spotted the would-be thieves gathering up the items and called police to the area.
One of the suspects drove away from the scene before police arrived, Hyatt said. An officer noticed the second suspect in the parking lot of the nearby Walmart store.
The officer approached the suspect, who then took off running through the parking lot, video shows.
Hyatt said the suspect ditched some of the stolen merchandise during the pursuit and yelled, “I didn’t do anything.” The officer chased him down one aisle of the Walmart parking lot and into the next, he said.
That’s when a shopper rolled his cart toward the fleeing suspect, Hyatt said. Both the buggy and the suspect toppled over.
Credit: Peachtree City Police Department
Credit: Peachtree City Police Department
Marcus Melik Smith, 41, of Columbus, was arrested and booked into the Fayette County Jail after the incident, Hyatt said.
The shopper’s identity is not known because he disappeared before speaking with officers, Hyatt said.
“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 department said in a post on Facebook.
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