Fate decided for Supercheap Auto employee who stopped alleged pram thief

Supercheap Auto has confirmed the fate of an employee who went viral after footage showed him stopping an alleged shoplifter.

The employee who confronted an alleged shoplifter at a Supercheap Auto store on the Gold Coast has left the business, a company spokesman has confirmed.

The motor goods business confirmed that the man has chosen to leave the business after a “comprehensive review”.

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The incident occurred outside the Supercheap Auto store in Ashmore. Picture: TikTok

This comes after a viral video uploaded to TikTok showed the employee attempt to prevent an alleged shoplifter from leaving the store with items hidden in her pram.

“I can confirm that the team member involved in the incident has decided to leave the business,” a company spokesman said in a statement via 7News.

The communication also reiterated that workers are instructed to not confront shoplifters and make physical contact with customers.

“We have extensive video surveillance in our stores and suspected cases of shoplifting are referred to the police with footage of the alleged offenders,” it continued.

“The health, safety and wellbeing of our team members and customers is our highest priority and we are committed to maintaining a safe working and shopping environment.”

The man was filmed stopping a woman who allegedly attempted to take something from the store. Picture: TikTok

Previously, the man had been stood down from his job, with pay. Picture: TikTok

Previously it had been reported that Supercheap Auto’s parent company, Super Retail Group had stood down the man but placed the employee on full pay while they were investigating the incident.

During the short TikTok video, the worker can be seen confronting a woman holding a pram which has a towel draped across the front.

“You stole from the store, do you want me to ring the cops?” the clerk can be seen shouting to the customer.

To which the woman replies: “Ring the cops”.

The worker then attempts to grab the pram, as the woman tries to move it out of the way. Throughout the video, she screams: “Let my baby go. Let go. Let go of my baby there”.

As they grapple for the pram, a box is eventually knocked out of the pram, after which she says: “You can have the f***ing rotor mate.”

The incident unfolded at the Ashmore Supercheap Auto near the Gold Coast. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone.

The act earned the employee widespread support, with other companies evening offering the man a job after it was announced he had been stood down.

Rival store Autobarn in Burleigh Heads was one of the first to offer him a new job, with owner Michael Farrar saying he was just the type of employee he was looking for.

“His actions showed to me that he is a loyal person and someone we would want on our team,” he told Gold Coast Bulletin, adding his store had about $15,000 worth of items stolen in the last two years.

2GB radio host Ben Fordham also barracked for the man and said there was “no way in the world” he should have been stood down.

“This guy was doing his job by saying you’re not going to pinch that from the store,” he said on Today Extra.

“I’ve had people calling in on my radio show saying they’d offer him a job. They would give him a pay rise or a promotion,” he added.

To date, the original TikTok video has been watched more than 6.8 million times.