Italian police pay for shoplifter's goods after learning the situation

July 5, 2012

Officers in Italy received a routine call from a supermarket clerk to investigate two people for stealing. After arriving at the scene, the good-hearted officers ended up paying for the items out of pocket and letting the suspects go in peace.

The two suspects were brothers who needed supplies for their family.  The older brother, 27, has a wife and 2 children and is also supporting his 19 year-old younger brother. The items being stolen from the supermarket were milk, diapers, pasta and baby food.

The officers learned that the older brother was unemployed and struggling to keep his family alive. He was only taking necessities to survive during a European financial crisis. The officers reached into their pockets for money instead of handcuffs.

These officers could have easily arrested the brothers for breaking the law and left a wife with 2 young children home to fend for themselves without food. Instead, kind and generous police officers donated their own money to help strangers in need.