Who's the victim?

Last night I was at Walgreens and witnessed a shoplifting. The violator was a teenager, dressed oddly and behaving as if he was under the influence of something. He entered the store and went down the candy aisle, unzispped his back pack, filled it with candy, zipped it closed and he and another young male accomplise just vanished into the landscape. Knowing that there is nothing you can do until the violator leaves the store I said nothing until he approached the front door. As he walked out he activated the alarm which means he had something of value, not just candy. Despite the alarm, the young men continued to calmly walk away. I immediately told the cashier, who heard the alarm and watched as the two left the store that the back pack was full of stoloen merchandise. An ample amount of time passed before the cashier called for assistance, allowing time for the shoplifters to escape. The manager was slow to respond and scolded the cashier for interruptting her break. I was and am still upset. There was a newspaper on the counter with a picture of two young men in jail jump suits. As I checked out I pointed to the picture and commented that if this young man continues to have his illegal behavior enabled, we will see his picture on the front page of the newspaper following some major criminal act.

Questions! Did I do something wrong? Should I have tried to reason with this young man and talk him into replacing the stuff? Should I have made a big deal from the beginning, scaring him into releasing the stolen goods before running? I don't know.

Maybe the young man was dangerous. He didn't seem espercially rational. Who would want to be injured or killed over a bag of candy? Was the manager and cashier as lazy as they appeared? Did the store not have a shoplifting policy? The cashier knowingly allowed someone with stolen property, one who activated the security system, to leave without even a question. Others in the store were aware that a crime had been committed and were also aware that nothing was being done. I left the store and went about my regular activities.

This morning, on my way to work, I stopped at McDonalds for some breakfast. As I entered, I saw the young shopliifter ordering a special coffee product. As he turned to leave, he was with the same partner he had at Walgreens, we almost ran into each other. Our eyes met and I recognized him immediatley. Did he recognize me, or did the state he was in last night allow him to reognize anything? How weird is it that our paths would ever cross again, much less within hours. This young man was placed in my way. But why? All I know to do now is pray.