Sikh Man Who Turned the Tables on Shoplifter Facing Criminal Charges

A Sikh store owner has gone viral on social media for fighting off an armed robber attempting to steal a trash can full of cigarettes at a 7-Eleven in California.

The viral incident: In a video circulating on social media, a thief whose face is concealed with a blue cloth can be seen rummaging through the store’s shelves and tossing tobacco products into a large garbage bin. When the store owner tries to intervene and threatens to call the police, the thief, who wields a knife in his pocket, warns him to back up.

The person recording the incident from behind a plastic partition also tells the store owner not to intervene. “Just let him go. There ain’t nothing you can do. They’re not going to do nothing,” he says before asking if the owner has insurance.