*During a robbery at a convenience store, an employee hurled a 2-liter bottle of soda at an alleged shoplifter, knocking him out cold.
The wild moment was caught on surveillance video that went viral last week. The footage shows a security guard confronting a male with a backpack filled with unpaid store items, SandraRose.com reports. The guard attempts to prevent the alleged shoplifter from exiting the store, so the culprit shoves shopping carts at him. That’s when a store employee throws a 2-liter bottle of soda at his head, rendering the man unconscious. Watch the Twitter clip below. It is unknown when and where the incident occurred.
Meanwhile, retailers nationwide are fighting to contain an increase in store crimes.
“A community might be struggling with heavy job losses and people can’t easily find another job. Now they can’t afford basic necessities,” said Read Hayes, a criminologist at the University of Florida and director of the Loss Prevention Research Council, CNN reports.
“There is a trend of people who may have never stolen before, they are unsophisticated in how they steal. They’re taking necessities like bread and meat. We are seeing some of that,” he explained.
Shoplifter gets knocked out by Coke bottle.
This is one hell of a throw.pic.twitter.com/UA9vLQ7VFr
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) October 31, 2023
Organized retail theft has been a major cause for concern for national law enforcement.
“This is organized retail crime. It’s an opportunistic crew stealing specific items from a specific place or one item from many places to resell them,” said Hayes.
Target recently announced the closure of nine stores across four states due to rising thefts and organized retail crime.
“[W]e cannot continue operating these stores because theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of our team and guests, and contributing to unsustainable business performance,” Target said in a statement. “We know that our stores serve an important role in their communities, but we can only be successful if the working and shopping environment is safe for all.”
As CBS News reports, “the closings include three stores in California’s Bay Area; three stores in Portland, Oregon; two in Seattle; and one in New York City,” the outlet writes.
After the closures, Target will reportedly still have 150 stores.
READ MORE: Shoplifters Arrested After Suspect Returns to Nail Salon for Missing Phone | WATCH
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