Watch FL Deputy Race Bystander After Shoplifting Call

SARASOTA, FL — A deputy and a bystander went head-to-head in a foot race after a shoplifting incident Wednesday night in Sarasota, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post. (Watch video footage of the race below.)

When deputies responded to reports of a shoplifter at a convenience store, they found the suspect near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Pershing Avenue.

After the suspect was taken into custody, a crowd gathered while deputies explained what was going on, the sheriff’s office said.

One bystander stepped forward and told deputies, “Man, if it were me, you wouldn’t catch me.”

“Challenge accepted,” SCSO said. “Deputy Codi Bressler laced up, the crowd cleared a lane, and a friendly foot race was on.”

Before the race started, one of the challenger’s friends warned Bressler, “He’s going to smoke you.”

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But the deputy was undeterred.

The two raced down the street and Bressler crossed the finish line first.

“The best part? They hugged it out afterward — proof that positive interactions between law enforcement and the community can happen anywhere… even on an impromptu street racetrack,” the sheriff’s office said.

Watch a video of the race: