Video captured the moment a Target employee chased down a thief and successfully took back the stolen merchandise he had escaped with.
The encounter, which went viral on social media, shows the male employee running after the male suspect in a neighborhood alleyway.
The suspect had reportedly left a Target store in downtown Azusa with a handful of stolen goods.
The employee runs after the suspect before grabbing his face and forcefully shoving him to the ground. The worker quickly picks up the fallen merchandise, which includes a large box and other items, before calmly walking away.
The suspect appeared to be injured and disoriented after the violent confrontation.
Workers at the store told KTLA’s Shelby Nelson that the employee spotted in the video may be a store manager, but his identity has not been confirmed by the retailer.
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A Target employee seen chasing down and confronting a male suspect who stole merchandise from a Target store in Azusa. (@covina626sgv) -
The Target employee grabs the suspect’s face and shoves him to the ground after he allegedly stole merchandise from a Target store in Azusa. (@covina626sgv) -
The Target employee grabs the suspect’s face and shoves him to the ground after he allegedly stole merchandise from a Target store in Azusa. (@covina626sgv) -
The Target employee grabs the suspect’s face and shoves him to the ground after he allegedly stole merchandise from a Target store in Azusa. (@covina626sgv) -
The Target employee picks up the stolen merchandise and walks away. (@covina626sgv) -
The neighborhood alleyway where the confrontation took place in Azusa. (KTLA) -
The entrance to the Target store located at 809 North Azusa Avenue in Azusa, California. (KTLA) -
The entrance to the Target store located at 809 North Azusa Avenue in Azusa, California. (KTLA) -
The Metro Line station located directly across from the Target store in Azusa. (KTLA) -
Many of the items at the Azusa Target store are locked up due to high rates of theft. (KTLA)
Azusa Police said they do not have a report related to the theft, but noted they receive around 10 theft calls per day from that particular Target store, located on the 800 block of North Azusa Avenue.
Some local shoppers believe the troubling amount of theft stems from a Metro station located directly across from the business.
“It’s happening more because we’re in Azusa and this is kind of the end of the road for the Gold Line, so we see a lot more transients and a lot of theft at Target,” said Alisha Devezin, a local who works in Azusa. “It’s scary.”
“It wasn’t this way before,” said Alicia Holmes. “I’ve worked here for almost 13 years and not until the [Metro] line extension occurred did the crime really start to peak up and become an issue for us.”
It’s unclear what the suspect took and whether a police report will be filed moving forward.
KTLA has reached out to Target for a statement and is awaiting a response.
Footage of the altercation can be seen in the video player above.
