An elderly woman has been showered with praise after confronting an alleged masked shoplifter while shopping at Walmart.
The incident took place on Saturday at the Campbell River Walmart in British Columbia, and saw 73-year-old grandmother Elaine Gallaway stand up to a man accused of attempting to steal goods.
In the video, the man is first seen wearing a balaclava and attempting to wheel a shopping cart full of products out of the store's exit. However, he is first confronted by Darrell Johansen, who recorded the incident unfold.
Johansen can be heard asking the man: "You gonna pay for that?" But the man ignores Johansen and continues to try and leave the store with the items.
However, the alleged shoplifter doesn't get far - as he is approached by Gallaway, who blocks his exit with her own cart.
Check out more on this story in the video below:Speaking to Global News on Monday, Gallaway said she first spotted the man shoving "roasts of beef in a backpack". After paying for her shopping, she decided to confront the alleged shoplifter.
Galloway continued: "Then he ran into me and I said to him, "You coward, show your face to the camera.'"
She says she told the man: "I'm fed up with this bull****! Get out! You just jack up the price for everybody else."
At one point in the video, she even rips the man's balaclava off.
After being confronted, the alleged shoplifter can be seen attempting to pull the cart out of the store, but is prevented from doing so by Galloway.
Cst. Maury Tyre with the Campell River Royal Canadian Mounted Police has since told CHEK that although it can be frustrating to see shoplifters, he does not recommend members of the public taking it upon themselves to intervene.
Tyre added that some incidents in the past have been escalated with increased violence and shoplifters arming themselves with weapons or bear spray.
Security expert Sean Smith told CHEK that Walmart is a common target for shoplifters, but added that Gallaway "did what everyone else wanted to do" and her actions have made her very popular.
In fact, all across social media, people have fallen in love with Galloway, with some branding her a "hero". Although, she does admit that she doesn't recommend following her actions and acknowledged that the man could have been armed.
The Daily Mail adds that no arrests regarding the incident have been made as of this writing and authorities said an investigation is still ongoing.
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