A Massachusetts police officer kindly paid for shoplifters' Christmas dinner rather than arresting them.
Matt Lima, an officer in Somerset, Massachusetts, received a call from Stop & Shop to say that an incident of shoplifting was currently in progress.
A worker informed him that two women with children were not scanning all their groceries before putting them into bags at the self-checkout area.
Receipts showed that the women had seemingly attempted to steal number of items.
In the video below, Lima recounts the incident:Lima discovered that the two women had shoplifted items for a Christmas dinner that they could not afford, and instead of arresting them, he served a "no trespass" order without charges.
The officer then went into his pocket to purchase $250 (£180) worth of gift cards so that the women could purchase what they needed at another Stop & Shop store location.
In an interview with, WJAR he said that he "just did what I felt was right."
He continued: "Obviously this family was in need, and I can't imagine having to make the decision to go to Stop & Shop and just only pay for what I can afford - or do I go there and try to take things for Christmas dinner for the kids?"
He added: "They were very thankful; they were kind of shocked. I'm sure a lot of people in that same situation would be thinking that there was going to be a different outcome, and maybe they would be arrested or have to go to court.
"I bought the gift card close in value to what would've been taken. I just did what I felt was right. It's not about me, I just tried to put myself in that family's shoes and show a little bit of empathy."
On the Somerset Police Department's official website, the chief of the police force, George McNeil, wrote that the incident is a "true testament of Officer Lima's great character and decision making."
"His actions exemplify what it means to protect and serve the members of our community," he said.
"When faced with a difficult situation in which a family was trying to provide a meal for their kids, he made the generous decision to not press charges and instead ensured that they would have a Christmas dinner they could enjoy," McNeil added.
