Woman Confronts Alleged Shoplifter With Gun Outside Tucson Store—‘Don’t Try This at Home’

A video is going viral on X that shows an elderly woman pulling a gun on a man in the parking lot of a store in Tucson, Arizona. He allegedly stole several items from a store, and she didn’t want him to get away with it. X users can’t get enough of her bold behavior, but they are also cautioning people not to try it themselves, as there are serious legal consequences that could unfold.

The video shows an elderly woman walking in a parking lot with a gun in her hand. She’s chasing after a man who is carrying a slew of bags in his hands. From luggage to backpacks and purses. He allegedly stole the items from the store she was in. 

Someone in the parking lot recorded the confrontation, but we can’t hear what is being said because they are sitting inside a car. It looks like the woman is saying something to the man and he replies to her. It’s unclear if the confrontation was heated, though it likely was since the woman did have a gun in her hand.

Eventually, she walks away, and the man does as well. The footage ends without showing what happened afterward, and it’s unclear whether police responded to the incident.

X users were impressed with the video, but gave a simple warning: Don’t try this at home. 

The Video Allegedly Shows the Woman Confronting a Suspected Shoplifter

“WOW!!! An absolutely BASED grandma in Tucson AZ has allegedly chased a man out of a store at gunpoint after he shoplifted multiple items,” the caption of the post reads. “The police are saying that bystanders should not intervene in crimes like this and you can be CHARGED WITH ASSAULT for doing so.”

Many people were on the woman’s side. “We need more of this. We need more criminals getting the shit beat out of them,” one X user commented. “Just another reason to hate this country when the criminals have better rights than the victims!” someone else chimed in.

Others were not as happy about the video, citing that the woman wasn’t handling the gun appropriately. “Anyone trained in firearms knows that waving it around and threatening others with a gun is NOT acceptable. Deadly force is only used as a last alternative to protect yourself or others. One cannot pull it out to stop thieves,” one commenter wrote. Another added, “Yes, because normal people believe that murder is a bit extreme for a few stolen bags.”

It was also noted that people were seeing an uptick in shoplifting in their areas. However, it wasn’t the best idea to go after the thief with a gun. Not everyone believed that, though. Some were rooting for the woman to take a few shots.

The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the circumstances surrounding the alleged shoplifting incident or determine whether either person faced legal consequences. The claims about the incident are based on the video and commentary shared on X.