A 70-year-old veteran of the U.S. Military, Jim Tinney, was fired from the Home Depot in Pearland, TX, two weeks after trying to stop three thieves from robbing the home improvement megastore.

Like many companies, Home Depot has a policy against trying to stop shoplifters out of their supposed concern for the safety of its employees, but Mr. Tinney said that it was a natural reaction — especially for someone who was military-trained — he really needs (and enjoys) the job and that he thinks a reprimand would have been sufficient, rather than firing the former army veteran.

Mr. Tinney told WWSB that he saw three men carrying tool sets worth thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise and were looking nervous:

“One of them hollered, ‘Let’s go.’ And they all grabbed their kits and started heading out,” Tinney said.

Tinney says without thinking he tossed the paint roller extension he was holding to try and stop one of the men.

“In the Army, they train you to do things like that,” Tinney said. “I just automatically… threw the stick at their feet.”

The men ended up getting away, and Tinney thought the incident was over until two weeks later when he was fired. The veteran was surprised by the decision but admits his training at the store said not to confront shoplifters.

Unfortunately, Mr. Tinney is having problems finding new work. This is a bad public relations move by the Home Depot. While the policy is understandable, no one should be punished so harshly for trying to do a heroic deed.

h/t:  The Right Scoop