A security expert says the store manager should have left the matter to the police to handle.
A store manager and an alleged shoplifter were caught on camera in a shocking tug of war.
Read: Cops: Woman Arrested For Shoplifting Over $800 Worth of Flip-Flops
Kody Youmans, a 16-year-old customer, shot video of the incident at a Rite Aid in Oregon.
"It was insane," he told Inside Edition. “They were really going at it.”
He said the altercation “started in the parking lot. [The manager] went up to her and said she stole things. He grabbed it from her and she lost her balance and fell. She followed him back into the store.”
Youmans' footage shows the manager holding on to the woman.
“I am not going to let go!" he is heard saying. "We are calling the police and we are going to handle this the right way. You shoplifted. You can't just shoplift."
The action got really wild when the woman, identified as Sarah Jarvis, started kicking.
“I am going to take you down," the manager warned her. "Stop it."
Youmans said, “She was swinging at him and he warned her a number of times, saying, ‘I am going to take you down for this.’"
The alleged shoplifter, who ends up on the ground inside the store, is heard saying, “You threw me to the ground and hurt me.” She did not appear to be injured in the footage.
Security expert Tony Roman said the store manager should have left it to the police. "It's much better if he flags down a police officer... and allows the professionals to do their job," he told Inside Edition.
Youmans said he believed the store manager behaved appropriately. Other people also tried to step in to help, he said.
“It was kind of funny," he said. "One woman was acting like a referee.”
With the police on the way, the struggle finally came to an end. An officer grabbed hold of her and said, “You turn around on me and it's going to be big trouble for you."
Even the woman realized the time had finally come to give it up when police arrived on the scene.
In Oregon, shoplifting can be punishable with up to 10 years in jail and a $250,000 fine.
Watch: Suspect Steal $100 Bill From Kid's Hand: Cops
