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16
Feb
Man arrested after bust-up in ready meals aisle at Harrogate Lidl
Staff at Lidl in Harrogate were hailed as heroes today (February 16) following a bust-up in the store that led to a man being arrested.
Shoppers looked on stunned as a man who had apparently filled a bag with ready meals attempted to leave.
According to one customer, who asked not to be named, the meals spilled all over the floor as he tried to make a getaway.
She added:
A store assistant was shouting at the guy and trying to grab his bag as he was fighting his way to the exit. My husband tried to block him by ramming a trolley into him, but he made off. A number of staff and shoppers managed to overpower him at the exit and sat him on the floor until the police arrived.
I saw a second man stroll up the frozen food aisle to the toilet where I think he locked himself in.
It was shocking as it's half-term and there were a number of young children in Lidl shopping with their families. I spoke to one lady who was up in Harrogate from the Midlands, she was quite shaken. The staff were heroic, particularly the man who tried to get the bag from the thief.
Police statement
North Yorkshire Police said in a statement a man has been arrested on suspicion of shop theft after officers were called to Lidl in Knaresborough Road.
The statement added:
At around 10.45am on Monday February 16, police received a report of shoplifting and that a suspect had been detained by shop staff after he tried to leave the store.
Officers arrived at the store at around 10.54am and the suspect, a 30-year-old man, was arrested and taken into police custody where he remains at this time.
A bag of suspected stolen goods worth around £300 was recovered by shop staff during the incident.
Enquiries are ongoing to trace a second suspect believed to be involved.
Our thanks go to the store staff for their bravery and quick thinking in detaining the suspect.
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