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Shoplifting suspect arrested after wild confrontation in Walmart parking lot caught on video

Posted at 1:45 PM, Feb 21, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-21 13:45:17-05

YUBA CITY, Calif. -- A suspected shoplifter is in jail after his getaway attempt almost killed a man trying to stop him on Saturday.

Video of the weekend's dramatic confrontation has been shared hundreds of thousands of times. It shows the suspect in a Walmart parking lot in Yuba City, California almost running over a man trying to stop him from getting away, according to KTXL.

Police say the 46-year-old victim boxed the suspect's car in with his own, then tried to puncture his tires.

"He had a little utility knife with him that he tried puncturing the tires with," Yuba City Police Lt. Jim Runyen said, referencing the video. "You could see in the video he was leaning down toward the tire."

But the man didn't realize how desperate the suspect was to flee. Video shows the alleged shoplifter using his car as a battering ram to knock the victim's truck out of the way, nearly running over the good Samaritan.

Police didn't identify the victim, but said his injuries were minor.

Runyen added that the suspect had two children in the car with him, ages 7 and 10.

Thanks to the video, police arrested 31-year-old Michael Ramirez in Olivehurst a short time later. He’s being charged with assault with a deadly weapon, petty theft, child endangerment and vandalism.