The Associated Press
LETHBRIDGE, Alberta, Canada (CP) -- When a thief found himself being chased down by a six-foot-three, 260-pound green ogre, he figured he’d be better off turning himself in to the police.
Trouble is, the Shrek character who caught him stealing from a liquor store on the weekend was actually an off-duty police officer.
Const. Mark Smallbones, a six-year veteran of the Lethbridge Police Service, was on his way to a Halloween party Saturday when he stopped to pick up some beer. The chase was on after the bald and burly officer, skin painted green and accompanied by a stuffed donkey, saw two people swipe a couple of bottles and flee.
The pursuit covered a few blocks with the officer gaining ground and shouting at the bandits, “Stop, police!”
One of the crooks got away, but the other was clearly unnerved when he saw who was pursuing him.
“He told the uniformed officers who were on duty that responded to this call that he felt his best bet for his own safety was to return to where other people were, because he was concerned that Shrek was chasing him and trying to identify himself as a police officer,” Lethbridge Staff Sgt. Jeff Cove said Thursday.
Cove said Smallbones isn’t unlike the gruff but good-hearted movie-star ogre in some ways.
“He’s more of a shy guy,” said Cove. “When you get to know him, he’s certainly a guy who will tell you his opinion and is a fun guy to be around, to be sure.
“Actually, him getting involved in something like this when he’s not on duty doesn’t surprise me at all.”
A 20-year-old Lethbridge man has been charged with theft under $5,000.