Customer stops fleeing 'shoplifter' by perfectly-timed shopping trolley push

A quick-thinking customer managed to stop an alleged shoplifter by pushing a shopping trolley filled with groceries in their way, as they fled the scene.

Surveillance footage captured the incident in a car park in Peachtree, a city in Georgia, USA.

It shows the customer watching a man running out of the store pursued by security officers.

He soon decides to intervene by shoving his shopping trolley in the path of the fleeing man, tripping him up and allowing security to apprehend him.

After the incident, one of the security guards is seen patting the customer on the back as he retrieves his groceries from the ground.

The suspect, who was taken into police custody shortly afterwards, was identified as 41-year-old Marcus Smith and charged with felony shoplifting and obstruction of an officer.

Security patted the man on the back after the incident. Credit: Peachtree City Police Department and Peachtree City Fire Rescue

"Shopping cart - 1, shoplifter - 0," the police wrote as a caption to the footage.

"While we are eternally grateful for this citizen's quick thinking and impeccable timing, we never encourage anybody to intervene in a police situation," they added.