LSC student stops shoplifter

3/7/08

By Nathaniel Champagne
Critic Staff

Fighting crime isn’t in the Lyndon Promise, but that didn’t stop LSC’s Matt Wells from detaining a suspected shoplifter at the Price Chopper super market in St. Johnsbury.

On the evening of February 16 Vermont State Trooper Decker responded to an attempted shoplifting call at the supermarket Wells stocks shelves at. Upon arriving, he found that the accused, 21-year-old Adam Garand of St. Johnsbury, had already been fully detained by Wells.

After being suspected of attempting to steal nine beers and a candy bar, Garand was stopped as he tried to leave Price Chopper. Garand then proceeded to pull out a pocket knife, and threatened all of the employees not to follow, as he ran for the exit, Wells said.

Garand ran to a locked door while trying to escape, where he was met by Wells. Wells used a technique he learned in the military, known as “shock factor”, where by one would use the force of their body to shove another into something, in this case the locked door, in an attempt to disorient Garand.

After successfully doing this, Garand stuck Wells in the face with his fist. Wells then wrestled the closed blade out of Garand’s hand and kicked it away. Wells then proceeded to put Garand in a half nelson until he calmed down and then made him stand in the break area to wait for police, Wells said.

Before the police arrived, Garand acted out again. This time threatening to “blast” Wells in the face. After ripping off his sweatshirt Garand pushed Wells three times, forcing Wells to put him in a rear naked choke hold, a move he learned in local Brazilian Jujitsu classes, Wells said.

Wells eventually under-hooked Garand’s arm, wrapped his other arm around his waist and put him to the ground, until the police arrived Wells said.

Though Wells credits his military training for the mindset that allowed him to act so quickly under such circumstances, it’s the Brazilian Jujitsu he attributed the most to.

Wells went back to work after Garand was removed from the premise by police.

“There was so much adrenaline running, when I went to stock shelves my hand was still shaking,” Wells said.

Price Chopper management generally discourages employees from physically stopping shoplifters, John Hassard, Co-manager at Price Chopper, said.

“We don’t want anybody to get hurt,” Hassard said. Physically stopping a suspected shoplifter isn’t typical behavior from an employee either. “Night crew people, they’re a little more renegade,” Hassard said.

Price Chopper would rather that employees should not follow thieves out of the store but just get their licence plate number and report them to the police.