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Circle K did not return WTVD's request for comment, but it's not unusual for retailers to have such policies.

In July, Home Depot fired a 70-year-old employee at one of its Texas locations after he saw three suspected shoplifters and threw a paint roller extension at the feet of one of them in an attempt to stop him from making off with goods, according to ABC affiliate KTRK.

The shoplifters fled the scene unharmed, but the employee, Jim Tinney, was fired, as per company policy.

Stephen Holmes, a spokesman for Home Depot, told KTRK in July that the policy is in place for everyone's safety.

\"What I can tell you now is that we have a strict policy that only our trained security personnel can pursue and engage shoplifters,\" Holmes said in a statement. \"We've had deaths and serious injury over the years, and no amount of merchandise is more important than the safety of our associates and customers.\"

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