Woman Caught Shoplifting at a Store, Cops Pay For Her Stolen Items Instead of Arresting Her

Security guards were holding a woman in a New York supermarket for shoplifting, but when Police officers arrived at the scene, they did what nobody else expected.

July fourth is a day of celebration for most Americans as it commemorates the day the United States got its independence.

While most people were at home celebrating with their families, a woman was being held by security guards at a Manhattan Whole Foods supermarket because she had refused to pay for her groceries.

Coincidentally, three New York police officers, Lt. Louis Sojo, Officers Esnaidy Cuevas, and Michael Rivera, who were working that day, agreed to stop at the supermarket to grab a snack when they were told a woman was shoplifting.

The officers moved toward the lady to evaluate the situation, and one of them, Lt. Sojo, asked her what happened, and the lady replied she was hungry.

After looking into her bag, the officers discovered a ready-to-eat hot food buffet that cost between $30 and $35, and they surprisingly decided to pay for her instead of arresting her.

Their reaction shocked everyone at the supermarket, and the woman was left speechless and emotional. She, however, thanked the officers for their kind gesture.

THE INCIDENT GOES VIRAL

Present at the supermarket during the whole event was TV and Film Director Paul Bozymowkski, who subsequently published the picture of the officers paying for the woman's food on his Twitter account. Bozymowski also tweeted about the whole event. He wrote:

"This woman was being held by security. She had food in her bag she didn't pay for. When the NYPD showed up, they paid for her food."

The tweet quickly generated a lot of chatter after, and people applauded the officers for their surprise decision.

Speaking to CBS News after the incident, The TV Director said the incident was very emotional, and it showed a profound act of compassion on the part of the officers.

Meanwhile, Lt. Sojo disclosed he and his colleagues were surprised and very humbled to earn so much favorable interest for their reaction to the incident.

He also declared that officers frequently pay for someone else's food, and in his 22 years of service, this is not the first time he and the other two officers would be paying for someone's food.

Lt. Sojo further explained that it is not as if they go out every day looking to buy food for someone, but when a situation like that comes up, and the person is truly hungry, it is not easy to ignore and not help because it is the good thing to do.

He declared that gestures like this happen all over the country and that cops implement the law and help when required.

OFFICERS COMMENDED FOR KIND GESTURE

On Twitter, the three officers were also honored by NYPD's Chief of Department, Terence A. Monahan. He applauded them for being tender-hearted cops who silently help New Yorkers in need with their kind actions.