TORONTO - A Toronto shopkeeper who apprehended a thief says despite being victimized by shoplifters every day, police encouraged him not to press charges.
David Chen is on the stand today at his trial on confinement and assault charges.
The Chinatown shopkeeper made what he calls a citizen's arrest in May 2009, about an hour after a thief stole flowers from the store.
The law states you need to catch someone red-handed to make a citizen's arrest.
Chen is testifying that it was worth spending $30,000 on security cameras because he lost much more to daily thefts.
He says he would repeatedly call police and they would take up to five hours to respond, only to let the shoplifters leave with a warning to never return.
The thief, Anthony Bennett, testified Wednesday that Chen and two other men chased him down, tied him up, and threw him in the back of a van.
Bennett pleaded guilty last year to stealing from the store and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.
