The woman who helped stop an alleged shoplifter at a Walmart in Campbell River, B.C. said it was “gut instinct” to pull off the man’s balaclava so he could be identified on camera.
Elaine Gallaway, 73, has been praised in her community for her actions. A video of her confronting the man on Saturday morning was shared widely on social media. “When he pushed me, that was a boiling point,” she told Global News on Monday. “It was just a coincidence, and because I sort of already knew that he was a shoplifter, I think my gut instinct was, you’re not going to get away with this.” Read more: ‘I’m fed up with this’: Woman confronts alleged shoplifter at Campbell River Walmart Gallaway said she was buying dishwashing soap at Walmart on Jan.
29 when she noticed a man with a black coat and hoodie strolling by with a full grocery cart of items. “He was shoving roasts of beef in a backpack,” she alleged.
She told a Walmart staffer what she saw, and the staffer assured her that security would be alerted to the situation and would stop him as he walked out of the store. “So I went about my business, paid for my groceries, and as I was walking out the door he was trying to run out with a full grocery cart of items,” said Gallaway. “Then he ran into me and I said to him, ‘You coward, show your face to the camera.'” The interaction was captured on video.