Store Security Guard Requests Cops To Arrest Woman For Shoplifting, Instead They Pay For Her
How many times have you come across people who genuinely need help? Many times, but there are only a handful of people today who wouldn’t mind extending a helping hand to people in need. In July of 2019 when the temperatures reached 90 degrees in New York City, a nervous woman at the Whole Foods Market was finding ways to leave the store when she was stopped by the store security guard. At the same time, three police officers, who ride bicycles for the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group, walked in to buy some cold drinking water and a quick lunch.
Once inside, Lt. Louis Sojo and Officers Esanidy Cuevas and Michael Rivera were approached by the store security guard, who asked them to arrest a suspected shoplifter. The unidentified female shoplifter didn’t look like she was a skilled career criminal, instead, she was scared, her face wet with tears. The cops casually peeked inside her bag only to find that it was filled with three cardboard containers of food. Nothing but food. That’s when the woman broke down in tears and confessed that she was hungry and only wanted something to eat.
Naturally, the poor hungry woman thought that the cops would arrest her for shoplifting, but instead, they decided to pay for her food, leaving everyone in the store utterly speechless. Even the security guard was surprised. In fact, this is not the first time that Lt. Sojo has paid for someone’s food – he’s been serving the country for 23 years, so he could tell that the woman in question was genuinely hungry and needed help, and there was no way he could walk away without helping her.
Lt. Sojo decided to pay for the woman’s food without even discussing the matter with officer Cuevas and Rivera. The trio just looked at each other and decided that being hungry wasn’t a crime and that she wasn’t going to be arrested for it. They picked up the woman’s bag and escorted her to the register where they paid for everything she had picked up. The woman, who was extremely emotional, couldn’t stop crying as she thanked the officers for their kindness.
Another customer at the store called Paul Bozymowski was so touched by this act of kindness that he posted a picture on Twitter detailing out everything that had happened. The officers, who had no idea that Bozymowski’s post and picture would go viral, were humbled, but stated that they helped the woman out of generosity, and not for attention. Lt. Sojo stated that as police officers, while it is their duty to enforce the law, they also help people. Usually, cops are seen and regarded as law enforcers, but their acts of kindness go unreported, so the attention they received shows the world that cops have hearts too!
Have you ever come across a cop’s act of kindness? Let us know in the comments below. Don’t forget to share this article with your friends!
