Man, 55, helped women catch thief with knife

A 55-year-old local resident was identified by police yesterday as the person who helped two female staff workers subdue a knife-wielding theft suspect at a downtown convenience store on Monday.

The man surnamed Cui told Shanghai Evening Post that he was taking a walk with his wife after lunch when he saw two women workers fighting a man at the entrance of a Family Mart convenience store on Shimen No. 2 Road in Jing'an District.

"The two women were trying to stop the man from escaping the shop. I walked closer and saw him holding a knife, while the two women workers were both bleeding from their hands," Cui told the newspaper.

The two women, the store owner in her 30s and her mother in her sixties, were also praised by police for bravely confronting the suspect. Witnesses mistakenly said on Monday that the third person fighting the suspect was a woman.

"At that moment, I thought that I cannot let him escape, so I came forward to seize him," said Cui.

'It's just a small thing'

Cui said that during the fight he was quite nervous due to his age and his health not being so good. He also worried there might be more than one thief. Cui was not injured.

"There were many young people among those watching, and I did hope that they would come up to offer a helping hand," he said. "But none did. Some were taking photos, some were calling others."

Cui said it was not until his wife screamed, "Call 110," that a man in the crowd called police.

As the police were arriving, the suspect threw away his knife in an attempt to destroy evidence, Cui said.

"It's just a small thing and I don't have much to say. I only thought that we should bravely come forward in such incidents, otherwise the criminals may act more aggressively," Cui said.

He wouldn't disclose his full name or his photos to media.

The suspect, surnamed Liu, 38, arrived in Shanghai on Monday morning from northeast China, police said.

He was in the city seeking a job as a security guard. Liu saw a 200ml bottle of imported wine worth about 90 yuan (US$14.45) in the store and hid it in his pocket, police said.