A former British Army solider turned children’s instructor claims he was sacked after chasing after a suspected shoplifter while caring for a ten-year-old lad.
Mark K, who served in the army between 2007 and 2012, reacted quickly when he saw the robber racing along London’s Hampstead High Street with a sack full of stolen things from Reiss. CCTV video from Planet Organic, where the confrontation occurred, shows the army veteran catching hold of the suspected thief as he attempts to cross the street.
A Reiss store employee, dressed in blue jeans and a black sweatshirt, can be seen tussling with the intruder as she seems to reclaim the stolen garments, while Mark maintains his arms wrapped around him.
Following a brief exchange of words, Mark releases the accused shoplifter, who proceeds to pick up an item from the ground and fling it at the two as they walk away.
Mark claims he grabbed the ‘agitated’ shoplifter with a ‘bear hug’ after following him down the street because he was concerned about the man’s safety.
The instructor said that he immediately brought the ten-year-old home to his mother and explained what had occurred.
He said she was originally ‘cool’ with the scenario and laughed it off, but a few days later he got a ‘devastating’ phone terminating his position from the family’s personal assistant.
‘She was cool with it. ‘She didn’t ask any questions and just laughed about it,’ the 32-year-old revealed.
‘It wasn’t until a few days later, in the evening, that I was informed there was a problem, and then I was fired on the spot.’
Mark argues that he behaved in the best interests of the kid and is ‘gutted’ by the verdict.
He said that the individual on the run was in danger of creating a “fatal” accident. ‘As soon as we walked inside Reiss, the thief and the employee who was following him came out,’ Mark said.
‘The thief skirted me and the youngster. It all occurred so quickly. He was walking along the street.
‘There was no place for him to cross the road.’ There were stores on one side and a wall on the other, so there may have been a terrible collision with incoming traffic.’
Mark, who served two deployments in Afghanistan during his military service, advised the boy to remain where he was while he pursued the thief.
‘I believed the best course of action would be to stop the thief and that the store employee would collect the items and that he would not be a further danger,’ he continued.
‘I made a brief recon to make sure there were no further dangers.’ Everything occurred so fast.’
The now-tutor from Yorkshire said that he kept the youngster he was watching in his sight while chasing and restraining the guy down the street.
‘When the thief passed me, I wasn’t sure what was going on, but it soon became clear to me that something wasn’t right,’ he said.
‘He was anxious, hostile, and using nasty words.’ I considered him a menace.
‘I was worried about the child’s safety and the safety of the broader public.’
‘If he had rushed back, he might easily have attacked the store assistant, and if that occurred, he’d be even closer to the kid.’
‘I would have preferred that he be as far away from it as possible.’
Mark had a damaged forearm as a result of the thief’s actions, and the thief also stomped on his foot, which had just recently recovered after he fractured it in October 2020.
‘I didn’t even pin him down; my focus was the child’s protection,’ he said.
‘I felt it was a very unfortunate position to be in because I didn’t ask for any of it and I did what I believed was the right thing and I was terminated for it,’ she says.
The teacher alleges he was fired without notice and has subsequently set up a GoFundMe campaign, which has received £6,595 for his living costs and recuperation.
‘It’s not a position I planned for, it’s not something I anticipated,’ he continued.
‘It simply occurred, and I thought I’d set up a fundraiser to see if anybody might assist.’
According to Mark, the loss of his employment came at the worst possible moment since Covid and the situation in Ukraine have made work difficult to come by because he generally educates children from wealthy foreign families residing in London.
‘Hopefully, I’ll be able to find anything in the not-too-distant future,’ he added. I’m sorry that occurred, but I’m pleased everyone is safe.’
Police verified receiving a complaint of an incident on Hampstead High Street.
‘Police were alerted at 11:04hrs on Monday, 1 August to complaints of an assault at a business premises in Hampstead High Street, NW3,’ said a Met spokeswoman.
‘The incident occurred on Tuesday, July 26th, when the victim, a 30-year-old man, was holding a suspected shoplifter.’
‘There have been no arrests. ‘Enquiries are ongoing.’