CHICO, Calif. — Mixed Martial Arts Coach for Stand Alone Gym, Stephen Jay, was inside the Chico Co-Op attempting to purchase a drink on his break when he noticed a man begin to start placing beer bottles inside his coat.
“I see him stuff the first beer inside his jacket, and then I see him go again,” said Jay. “I then see him try to go to the back, and I’ve worked security a long time, so I know a shoplifter when I see one.”
The attempted theft, caught on the store’s cameras, shows Jay waiting for the man to try to exit the store and then proceeding to wrap his arms around him and halt him from leaving.
“I kind of asked him, like, did he forget he put those beers in his pocket? And he froze, and I was like, ” Well, let’s go put those back,” said Jay. “And I escorted him back to the beer coolers so that the store could retain some of its profit.”
For Jay, who has been coming to the store for years, he says he couldn’t live with himself if he saw a crime being committed and didn’t step in to do anything. Those employed at the Co-Op, speaking with the Northstates News, thanked Jay for his commitment to doing a good deed. They also said that while they have cameras, it can be tricky to keep an eye on everything because of lack of employees, which is why they are appreciative of the heads-up gesture.
“Somebody stepping in and being able to be our advocate was really nice,” said Store General Manager Holly Riggs.
Jay says he does not recommend citizens addressing these types of situations physically and that he only did so because he has years of training. He recommends always calling the police when it pertains to witnessing criminal acts.
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