Here at Nerdbot, we don’t necessarily feel like violence is a valid solution to problems. If at all possible, you should probably try to avoid physical confrontation and settle things peacefully. That being said, we also can’t deny that there’s a sense of schadenfreude that fills us when we see a dose of instant karma getting doled out. In this case, that karma was being dished out by three men at a Hunting Beach surf shop on Saturday, July 24th.
KTLA 5 reported the story, and were able to secure video footage of the altercation outside Jack’s Surfshop. Though we can’t see how it started, we can certainly see how it ended up. A combination of security and other shoppers surrounded the suspect and were determined not to let him getaway. The suspected thief nearly escaped the grasp of three men in his attempted getaway but through a combination of brawn and what looks like the guy’s pants slipping down, he ultimately gets tackled.
The identity of the man has not been revealed as of yet, but police did arrive at the scene to take him into custody.
It’s tough in a way, to know how to feel about this. On the one hand, a thief is being brought to justice. But on the other hand, this can set a dangerous idea into motion. Some thieves are obviously armed. This is why, most of the time, you shouldn’t get involved for risk of injuring yourself or possibly someone else in the struggle. Not to mention, most stores would be insured against theft, so the loss of items is really not worth the risk to life and limb.
Maybe it says something about American culture that vigilante justice “feels right” so to say. It could be the action movies, comics; who knows, but there’s still something satisfying about watching someone break the law, and then get caught. It’s that same feeling when you see someone blasting by you on the highway, only to then see them get busted for speeding. At least in that case there’s a law officer involved, here it seems to be mostly civilian.
So what’s the takeaway from all this? Well, if you needed video evidence to remind you that there are people who will risk their well-being for upholding the law, there you have it. At the same time, recognize that you should try to avoid putting yourself in this position if you can. And as for the would-be thief? Given that he was pushing off a tackle of three men, dude easily should’ve tried out for the NFL Draft. Talent going to waste right there!