Shoplifter runs into off-duty officer while exiting store with stolen products—cop's 'cool' reaction had him stunned

Of all the ways one would expect the officer to react, this was surely an unexpectedly sassy one.

PUBLISHED 4 DAYS AGO

(L)Police officer observing someone vigilantly. (Representative Cover Image Source: Pixabay| Photo by Bruce Emmerling), (R) Man with mask and hoodie at supermarket. (Representative Cover Image Source: Unsplash| Photo by Jana Schnipelson)

When shopping at a grocery store, you wouldn’t see a person with a basket of products and assume he’s a shoplifter. It would most likely take us a few seconds before we can do the math to call the person out. However, a bold and shrewd off-duty police officer effortlessly saved the day with an epic and sassy reaction to spotting a robber. The New Zealand police shared a video of how the officer quickly controlled the scenario before anyone even realized it. His brave and astute action at the Auckland supermarket had the shoplifter stunned. The story begins with a witty reason behind the officer's trip to the supermarket.

Cop looking at someone carefully. (Representative Image Source: Pexels| Photo by Kindel Media)

“On Wednesday, the Detective Sergeant was on his way to work at Henderson Police Station. The trip was to replace a bag of chips belonging to a colleague after they were…allegedly… consumed,” the post explained. The video captured the moment when a burglar was super-cautiously taking a basket full of groceries and making a slow, sly escape from the supermarket. The man was reportedly taking the “wrong exit out.” The basket was mainly filled with “hundreds of dollars’ worth of meat.”

Man with mas shopping at supermarket. (Representative Image Source: Pexels| Photo by Michael Burrows)

The man was cunningly trying to escape with the items, looking behind carefully to see if anyone spotted him. He was skilfully going about shoplifting, possibly waiting to celebrate as he was a step or two away from the exit. However, the man failed to realize that the smart officer was entering right in front of him and had already calculated the reality of the situation. The officer, however, decided to play along to add to the hilarity. In a matter of seconds, as soon as their paths crossed, he quickly grabbed the basket from the shoplifter and proceeded to enter the supermarket.

Man with mask and hoodie Looking suspiscious. (Representative Image Source: Pexels| Photo by Dmitry Ops)

“Cool and calm instincts took effect. Without confrontation, he quickly corrected what was wrong. Without eye contact, but with slick precision took the basket back and returned the meat products to supermarket staff,” the post explained. The man was so baffled that he had to take a moment to understand what had happened before he quickly escaped. Just a simple and quick, in-the-blink-of-an-eye moment was all it took for the officer to identify a crime, stop it and get the products back to the store. While the New Zealand Police applauds this officer, it is also a reminder of how police officers work with their intelligence and skill in so many untold instances. “Our staff will continue to use their training and risk assessment when they see something happening in the community, whether they are on or off duty. In saying that, we continue to discourage the public from taking matters into their own hands,” the post cautioned.

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People praised the man for his vigilance and smooth operation. The New Zealand Police also hysterically commented, “Big mis-steak.” Josh Garvitch added, “That switch was smoother than silk.” Swee Hong Lim remarked, “Police officers are so cool and calm! Full admiration on how he handled this.” Leilana Walker commented, “This is the smoothest thing I've ever seen.”