A shop assistant was fired after 13 years on the job after she tried to stop a gang of thieves from stealing from the Rincon, Georgia business.
Donna Hansbrough intervened after spotting three people loading up their carts with what was later estimated to be £1,633 ($2,100) of merchandise only to leave without paying.
The woman grabbed onto the cart that Takyah Berry was allegedly pushing only for the girl to punch her three times in the face, according to the police.
To add insult to injury, the veteran employee was then fired for violating Lowe’s policy stating staff should not interfere with shoplifters.
Hansbrough insisted she was aware of the company policy but that she had simply “lost it” when she saw the group trying to walk out without paying and had to step in.
Speaking to the Effingham Herald, she said: “They say that if you see somebody stealing something out the door, not to pursue, not to go out. I lost it.
“I grabbed the cart. I don’t actually remember going out but I did. And I grabbed the cart that had the stolen items in.”
She added that she expected the store to reprimand her but didn’t think they would actually fire her for acting on instinct.
According to Rincon Police Department, the company insisted that Hansbrough’s actions were a violation of their policy and she had to be fired.
Hansbrough said she is now looking for a new job because she just “can’t sit at home.”
She said: “I didn’t expect to get terminated. Maybe a repairman or a suspension.
“I just got tired of seeing things get out the door. I just, I lost it. I basically lost all the training. Everything they tell you to do, I just…I just lost it.”
The police said that Berry was at the shop with her uncle Joseph Berry and another man identified as Jarmar Lawson.
In a statement, they said: “Hansbrough attempted to stop one of the subjects by grabbing the shopping cart. Hansbrough did not at any time make contact with any person. The cart that Donna grabbed was in the possession of subject Takyah Berry.
“After Donna grabbed the cart, BERRY struck Donna in the face three times causing Donna’s right eye to swell and blacken. The total value of the merchandise that was stolen is $2,101.”
They added: “Two of the three suspects are at large. If anyone knows the whereabouts of Takyah Berry or her uncle Joseph Berry please contact the Rincon Police Department at 912-826-5200.”
With shoplifting on the rise, several companies have revised their policy to instruct staff not to approach shoplifters and to just let them walk out with the merchandise.
The change came after 26-year-old Home Depot employee Blake Mohs was killed in April after trying to stop a couple from stealing a phone charger.
Another Home Depot worker, 83-year-old Gary Rasor, died a month after he was shoved to the ground and hit his head when he tried to stop shoplifters at his store.
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