(La Porte, IN) - A man who confronted a thief in La Porte is being applauded for his actions.  According to police, things got physical between the unidentified man and thief fleeing Al’s

Supermarket with a woman’s wallet Tuesday afternoon.  The man dropped the wallet before getting into a vehicle that pulled up during the altercation and fleeing.

“It’s definitely commendable but it’s not something I would really recommend,” said La Porte Police Chief Paul Brettin.  Brettin said bystanders trying to stop suspects in a crime run the risk of the offenders having a weapon and possibly using it.

Police said the thief, described as a man about 40-years old, took the wallet from a woman’s shopping cart when she was not looking in one of the store aisles.  The victim called for help upon discovering the wallet missing from her purse. 

Brettin said police are hoping to identify the thief from surveillance video.