Nice bit of instant karma this week as a shoplifter who had just ransacked a Tesco Express in Wanstead, London, got hit by a car as he ran across the road with a bag full of stolen spirits and packs of rolling tobacco.

The shoplifter was one of two men who were robbing the store, with staff and shoppers putting in some effort to stop them, but ultimately failing. One of the men seems to get away without hassle, but the other struggles a bit, before getting floored by a vehicle as he legs it across the road:

Tesco staff block a thief in, but after the thief escapes and runs off… he gets hit by a car 😭😭 this happened in Wanstead, NE London pic.twitter.com/muLGpqJoYl

— UB1UB2 West London (Southall) (@UB1UB2) July 10, 2024

So unfortunately, we don’t actually get to see the shoplifter get struck by the car, but you can hear a thud at around the 1:31 mark before a man casually suggests calling an ambulance. Calling the police too might’ve been a good shout? Maybe they already did that.

Interestingly, London Ambulance Service have no record of a team being sent to the location when the incident occurred, so it would appear the shoplifter managed to get away regardless. I don’t suppose there’s any use checking in with the police either because we already know they’re not going to put the time and energy into capturing a couple of petty shoplifters unless they’re already there the moment the incident occurs.

So, useless security staff, ineffective police… it’s a great time to be a shoplifter in the city of London! Just watch out for traffic.

Then again, Sainsbury’s staff did beat up a shoplifter after dragging him into the back room a few weeks back, so I suppose it’s hit and miss.