VIDEO: Westchester cops buy socks for homeless man instead of arresting him for shoplifting

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (WCBS 880) — Two Mount Vernon police officers are being praised for an act of kindness.

Officers Christopher Cartwright and Jason Velez responded to a shoplifting call at a Dollar Tree store on Saturday.

When they arrived on the scene, they encountered a homeless man who had stuffed several pairs of socks into his bag and admitted that he was trying to steal them.

"What are you trying to get today?" Cartwright is heard asking the man in body camera footage released by the police department.

"Some socks," the man replied. "I'm homeless."

"Damn man, that's a lot of socks," the officer says when the man pulls out pair after pair after he was asked to empty out his bag.

Instead of arresting the man, Officer Cartwright bought him 15 pairs of socks and let him go.

"You're a little light on some socks? I'll tell you what, I'll buy you a couple of pairs or socks but you gotta stop stealing them," the officer said. "There's nothing better than a nice fresh pair of socks."

Officer Velez also told the man to stop by the police department to see if there were any services that could help him, including a shelter that could provide him with a bed and shower.

The officers also got him a face mask, since he was without one, to help him comply with mask mandates amid the pandemic.

The man thanked the officers and went on his way.

As he was leaving the store, the manager also told him that if he ever needs anything he should ask her.

"You don't have to steal from me. If you ever need something I'll come out... and I'll pay for it for you," she said.

The Mount Vernon Police Department commended not only the officers, but the manager as well for their kindness and compassion.

"We want to thank not only Officers Cartwright and Velez but also the manager of the Dollar Tree, who not only authorized us not arresting the person of interest, but also advising him that if he was in need, he could just tell her," the department wrote on Facebook.

"Mount Vernon is a fiercely hard working community that never gets the positive attention it needs. The community is proud and resilient and always keeps its head up and marches on towards a better tomorrow," the department added. "These positive incidents happen every day in our city, not only with the police, but also with our other municipal employees and with our business partners. "