A disturbing scene on a Sunday afternoon....

I went to a discount store on Neptune avenue yesterday and as I was walking out, I noticed the security guard was hot on my heels.  I stepped to the side so he could pass me.  I saw him running ahead of me and I thought "He's going after a shoplifter".  I noticed him running toward a woman with a walker and at first I thought she was the suspect, but then he was walking towards an SUV.  At first he stood behind the vehicle as if to block it, but then he approached the driver's side of the window, tapped on it, and opened the car door.  At this point, the driver slammed on the gas, nearly knocked the security guard over and peeled out of the parking lot. 

This all happened in a matter of seconds.  The security guard just stood there watching the SUV pull away and I was sure he noted the license plate number.  It was then that I noticed that the woman with the walker was sprawled on the ground, her walker tipped, and groceries spilled on the pavement.  The security guard was trying to pull her up but I ran towards them shouting "don't move her".  The woman looked up and spoke to me in Russian, and was trying to get up.  "You get the license plate number?"  the security guard just shrugged and said, "no", then walked back towards the discount store. 

At this point another passerby started to help the woman get up on her feet while I collected the groceries and righted the walker.  There was a cut on her elbow but other than that she seemed fine.  She kept telling us "thank you, thank you".  I asked her where she lived and if she could get home okay and she assured me she could. 

I was seething with anger.  I could not understand why the security guard took the trouble to chase a shoplifter out to the vehicle, tap on the window but didn't get the license plate number. As for the shoplifter,  I know times are tough but there is no excuse for stealing and they could have killed someone pulling out of the parking lot like that.