Police Officer Buys Woman Eggs: Grandma Caught Shoplifting Gets Help, Hug From Police Officer

A police officer buys a woman eggs after she attempted to steal them from a store in Alabama, and the video of his kind gesture has gone viral. According to People Magazine, Officer William Stacy responded to a shoplifting complaint at Dollar General, but instead of making an arrest, he did something kind. Officer Stacy decided to give Helen Johnson, 47, a break — something that she so desperately needed.

“Johnson went to the store with $1.25 and was short 50 cents for a dozen eggs, so she hid five in her pocket, which immediately broke,” reports People Magazine.

Officer Stacy learned that Johnson was trying to feed her her niece, daughter, and two grandchildren, who had not eaten for days, and he couldn’t help but feel bad for the woman.

And so, the police officer decided to buy the woman eggs, and give her a big hug, even if she attempted to break the law.

“After hearing about the situation, Officer Stacy decided not to press charges and made a deal with Johnson that if he buys the eggs, she won’t shoplift again. She agreed and asked if she could give him a hug,” reports People Magazine.

Fortunately, the whole thing was caught on tape. Another customer decided to whip out a cell phone and record the exchange. The video was posted on Facebook, and already had over 600,000 views, and it continues to get exposure this week.

According to NPR, the police officer talked to the media about his decision to help the woman out.

“The story she told me Saturday matched up with what I had seen when I was there. I felt like it was the right thing to do. I didn’t want to pass judgment on her,” said Officer Stacy.

The police officer who bought the woman eggs is being praised by people all over the country after the story went viral.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Officer Stacy is glad that his story is getting national attention.

“At the time, Officer Stacy did not know another customer was video recording the entire incident with her cell phone. The manager of the Dollar General made him aware, but Stacy didn’t mind. In fact, he told WIAT he was glad. He wants the public to know that police officers are good guys who do good things everyday. What he did was just one small example.”

[Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons]