MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. — Officers in Westchester County, New York, were called to investigate a shoplifting case, but instead of arresting the man, they showed compassion.
Mount Vernon police officers Chris Cartwright and Jason Velez responded to a Dollar Tree store where a homeless man was suspected of stealing.
They talked to the man to find out what happened.
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“Soon as we went up, he gave me the look: ‘you got me.’ He was honest, up front, rolled with it,” Cartwright told WNBC.
The man admitted he took socks from the dollar store without paying for them, WABC reported.
But instead of slapping handcuffs on the man, they dug into their wallets to buy him $15 worth of socks, WABC reported.
He just had to agree to stop stealing, WNBC reported.
The man, who was not identified, was not charged and the store’s manager pledged to help him with a hot meal and supplies, according to WNBC.