Weekes sat on the shoplifter’s face until help arrived. The incident was captured and it was also posted to a local Facebook page. The
photo was posted on a page called “Not Unusual For Stroud” and it shows the shoplifter underneath Weekes.
Manford Ruaz, a witness, said he walked into the store and he spotted what had happened. He described the incident as weird.
Ruaz said he walked through the doors and he saw a big guy sitting on a kid. He said it was shocking and he never seen anything like that before.
The shoplifter, a 15-year-old boy, entered the store twice to pick up some wine and beer, but on both occasions, he didn’t attempt to pay for the items. He entered the store a third time, but when he tried to leave without paying for some more alcohol, the store employee apprehended him.
Police spoke with the teen and he ended up paying for the stolen goods, but he has since been banned from the store.
As for Weekes, the Co-op decided to suspend him for his actions. A spokeswoman for the store said the company was conducted an internal investigation and it will review procedures.
