Police officer was called to arrest a family suspected of shoplifting—instead, he bought them gift cards worth $250

The man took one family member aside and asked them a few questions that helped him make a decision.

PUBLISHED 12 HOURS AGO

(L) Two women at a store. (R) A police officer talking to a crying woman. Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Gawrav; Yuri Arcurs

Sometimes, there might be a bigger reason behind a wrong action. So when a police officer was called in for a shoplifting case, he decided to know the person's side of the story, too. After he came to know what had happened, he decided to use his own money to buy the family gift cards instead of arresting them, per 10 WJAR. The man, Ptlm Matt Lima of the Somerset Police Department, knew something was up when he got the call from the food store just five days before Christmas.

A mom at a grocery store with her daughter. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | d3sign

Lima was called to a local Stop and Shop about a theft, when he decided that the family hadn't made a big enough mistake to be arrested. "The allegation was that the two females were scanning some items at self-checkout but bypassing other items and bagging those items. Dispatch indicated it was two females and two young small children and they were detained by Loss and Prevention over there," the officer recounted. The man took one of the women aside and asked her why she had bagged the items without scanning them. "The woman I talked to explained she was working, but the mother of the children was not working and had some other family issues going on and that what she had taken was Christmas dinner for the kids."

An officer talking to a woman. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Katarzyna Bialasiewicz

The officer had noticed that the women had two kids with them and they reminded him of his own children. "I have two girls myself, similar in age to the two girls that were there, so it kind of struck me a little bit." The man interacted with the Stop and Shop Asset Protection associate to check the bill and see the items the women had paid for. "There was nothing else on there like health and beauty items, shampoo, anything like that. It was all food. I asked an employee where the other items were that they had planned to take and was informed they were put back on the shelves." The store had also issued a "no trespass" order for the two women by that time.

An officer explaining something to a person. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Maskot

However, after looking at the bill, the officer didn't feel that it was fair to press charges against the family trying to get by. "Obviously, this family was in need and I can't imagine having to make the decision to go to Stop and Shop and just only pay for what I can afford — or do I go there and try to take things for Christmas dinner for the kids? They were very thankful and they were kind of shocked. I'm sure a lot of people in that same situation would be thinking that there was going to be a different outcome and maybe they would be arrested or have to go to court." Lima not only decided to forego the charges, but also bought gift cards worth $250 so the family could get the things they needed from another outlet of the store.

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"I bought the gift card close in value to what would've been taken. I just did what I felt was right. It's not about me, I just tried to put myself in that family's shoes and show a little bit of empathy," the officer pointed out. They were allowed to leave after that. Somerset Police Chief George McNeil appreciated the officer's kind gesture in a statement, per TODAY.com. "His actions exemplify what it means to protect and serve the members of our community. When faced with a difficult situation in which a family was trying to provide a meal for their kids, he made the generous decision to not press charges and instead ensured that they would have a Christmas dinner they could enjoy," McNeil went on.