A fleeing thief was caught in the act by a Good Samaritan who witnessed his attempted robbery.

Kim Carlton, who owns a martial arts club and tattoo shop across the street from the Old Barley Market on Quilchena Avenue, said that earlier this afternoon he saw a young man cover his head with his hood and begin running towards the beer and wine store.

Observing the man from his shop, and concerned for a friend he knew was working inside, the martial artist ran across the street and followed the man into the liquor store.

“He came running out from between a couple of shelving units with some booze bottles in his hands, and he ran out the door,” Carlton said.

The liquor store has a median between the entrance and exit doors, which Carlton had to run around to catch up with the thief.

“I was right behind him and as soon as he got outside the door, I tackled him,” Carlton said.

He said he brought down the thief just outside the entrance in the parking lot, holding him in a figure-four body lock until police arrived.

“I didn’t choke him out, and I didn’t hit him or anything like that — I just held on to him,” Carlton said.

RCMP Sgt. Norm Flemming said that the suspect was brought to cells at the police detachment, and he was under the influence of alcohol.

“[The suspect] was waiting for the employee to go into the back and then dashed in the door, grabbed a couple of bottles and then dashed out,” Flemming said.

He said charges against the thief are pending the outcome of an investigation.

Carlton said he wasn’t sure if the man was carrying a weapon when he decided to act.

“When he was running in the store he had his hand under his shirt holding onto his pants [and] I thought he had a gun or something, but he was just apparently holding his pants up,” Carlton said.

Flemming doesn’t advise people follow Carlton’s lead by trying to apprehend fugitives.