Best Buy Fires Employee For Stopping Shoplifter

I think that most of us grew up the same way. If someone is stealing from you, and you can stop them without risking your life or the life of your family nearby, you do it. I would also like to think that if we were in a store and saw someone trying to steal that most Americans would step in and thwart the thief. Apparently, if you work for Best Buy the thing to do is smile and watch thief run away with the merchandise.

An employee in the computer department at Best Buy in Billings, Montana named Roger Kline did just that. As the story goes, a man was seen trying to steal two laptops from the store and attempting to slip out the back door. The thief found the back door locked and headed to the front of the store to escape. Apparently, the manager announced over the store PA that the thief was trying to steal the laptops.

Kline noted the man fall down during his escape and headed out to the second set of doors to the store. Kline was then able to throw the thief to the ground and attempted to hold him there until the police arrived. The store manager walked up to Kline and told him to let the thief go. At that point, a store patron held the crook down until police arrived. A week later the store fired Kline for stopping the thief and breaking the company policy to let shoplifters leave. My thing is if the manager didn't want someone to try and stop the thief, why announce it over the PA system?

[via Billings Gazette]