Engaged in a foot pursuit of an alleged shoplifter, Slidell, Louisiana, Police Sergeant Jeff Kahrs caught a ride from an unexpected source — a 46-year-old preschool teacher.
The November 1 incident began when Kahrs stopped a woman inside a department store at a local shopping center because he suspected she had stolen some merchandise. The suspect suddenly bolted out the door and jumped into a waiting car driven by an alleged accomplice. Kahrs ran after her, but his patrol car was parked on the opposite side of the building, and he would have been left behind had a bystander not intervened.
Shopper Lesli Smith had been sitting in her car in the parking lot and saw the incident unfold.
“I just thought, ‘What could I do?’ and I saw him working so hard, and if I could help out in a tiny way, that’s what I wanted to do,” Smith told reporters. So she asked Kahrs if he wanted to “hop in” her car, and he accepted.
Riding in Smith’s passenger seat while radioing for backup, Kahrs directed her in pursuit of the escaping suspect vehicle at a safe distance. With a cop in the car, she struggled to balance law-abiding caution with the need for urgency.
“There was a stop sign, and there were a lot of people walking around, and I’m like, ‘No, no, no, I have to put my blinker on.’ I was doing all the things, and he was like, ‘Go, go, go,’” Smith said.
After about a two-minute low-speed chase, responding officers were able to surround and block in the suspect vehicle. Karhs jumped out of Smith’s car and ran to assist. Busy with the arrest, he missed his chance to catch Smith’s name, and she returned to her errands.
“I made a U-turn, went back to T.J. Maxx and went shopping,” she said.
The two suspects were charged with theft and resisting an officer by flight, and the female suspect was also charged with possession of a Schedule II narcotic.
The department posted about the unusual incident on social media and asked the good Samaritan to come forward so they could thank her. Although Smith felt she didn’t need any special recognition, she got in touch. In a ceremony on November 4, the agency presented her with a citizenship award for her actions.
“She stepped up that day and demonstrated bravery, civic responsibility and an unwavering commitment to public safety,” Chief Daniel Seuzeneau said.
The incident is a great example of mutual trust between police and the community they serve. The department noted on Facebook that not only did Smith jump in to help when needed, but the body-cam footage shows that when Kahrs exited her car, she also made sure to thank him for his service.
“As police officers, this is the kind of thing we really appreciate seeing, when a citizen is willing to step up and do the little part that they can,” Kahrs said.
