Police: Miami Security Guard Shoots Shoplifter
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) --A security guard accused of shooting a shoplifter was questioned by detectives and dusted for gunshot residue.
Police said early Thursday morning, the security guard chased a man accused of stealing from the Price Choice Food Market at 1851 NE 2nd Avenue.
Just two blocks away, they struggled and a shot was fired. The alleged thief took a bullet to the arm.
"Definitely out of the usual, I've been here 11 years and we haven't had that type of incident," said the manager of the store Tony Medina.
Medina said two men came into the store at around 6 a.m. and at checkout, one of them bought eggs and milk.
That's when the second guy, he says, stuffed stolen items down his pants and tried to leave without paying.
"If anybody is shoplifting, we take the merchandise away from them. If it's something really big, we call the cops," said Medina.
Instead, he said the guard got in his car and went after them.
What led to the struggle and what caused the guard to pull the trigger remains under investigation.
When asked if the guard should have left the property to chase the guy, the manager said, "Absolutely not."
The suspected thief was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital where he was listed as stable.
