A theft at a Toys-R-Us store in Westland has a surprise ending. A man took off with a young mother's cash. But, customers stepped up and salvaged her Christmas.
Click on the video player to watch Robin Schwartz's report.
Tiairra Chambry, 22, headed home with a trunk full of gifts for her 2 year old daughter. But, their Christmas Eve shopping trip to a Toys-R-Us in Westland almost didn't end that way. She says the trouble started when a man approached her and offered to help get a larger item.
"So I gave him my ticket for my easel and he said I could give him the money cause he was gonna take it right up to the register," she says.
Tiairra handed over her items and her money and watched the man walk toward the front of the store. But, a few minutes later when she walked up to the checkout, the man was gone and so was her cash!
"He looked like he was security," she says. "He looked like he was extra help because Toys-R-Us hires extra help during the season."
Police came and questioned her in the back of a squad car. At first, they thought she may be connected to the man because he told other customers Tiairra was his niece. But, she says she's never seen the man before. Crying, and certain she'd be going home empty-handed, some compassionate customers - total strangers - surprised her and saved the day.
"Her name was Clarita. She bought all of my daughter's Christmas gifts for her and told me, 'I'm really sorry this happened to you and Merry Christmas." Then two other nice ladies I didn't catch their name also bought [my daughter] a gift. So, a bad situation turned good at the end."
Tiairra is hoping police will look at store surveillance video to try and catch the suspect before he does this to somebody else.
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