>>213143103
>holding open backpack with items dropping out
he was definitely stealing
>in which case why just let him run off?
if you attack someone, you risk
>getting beaten up in retaliation (if they're fine with stealing, they might be fine with robbery)
>getting killed in retaliation (if they're fine with robbery, they might be fine ending your life or it happens anyways as an accident)
>getting a civil lawsuit for damages (yes, you can be sued, especially if you've permanently disabled them in some articulable way. even if not, a lawsuit for mental damages is possible)
>losing your job (your business does not want to be held liable for legal fees, so they set policies to not intervene)
>getting arrested for assault (depending on the state's laws and situation, you might be a criminal for attacking first even if they're stealing)
>accidentally killing someone and standing on trial for voluntary manslaughter (i cannot stress enough that humans are both hardier than you think and weaker than you think. people have accidentally killed others in a single swing)

I mean in reality, people don't have a lot of sympathy for a criminal. But the risk of all of the above exists and so any business you work at will tell you not to intervene with shoplifting but rather to call the police and record them so the police can identify later. It's just funny because career criminals expect no touching as a result and then one in one hundred employees is disgruntled enough to kick their ass.