A theft alarm went off in an Osaka Don Quijote, and the man who ran was chased by a guard old enough to be his father

A viral video circulating on X appears to show an alleged shoplifter sprinting through a MEGA Don Quijote store in Osaka after a theft alarm went off. As detailed by Daily Dot, the footage shows the man bolting down two sets of escalators while a security guard tries to keep pace, a sight that has left plenty of viewers questioning how the store’s security protocols played out.

According to details shared alongside the clip, the incident reportedly began when the store’s theft prevention gate went off. When a security guard approached the man for what appeared to be a routine bag check, the man allegedly panicked and ran, setting off a chase through the store. The video does not show what happened before the alarm sounded or how the chase ended, and Attack of the Fanboy was unable to independently verify the circumstances beyond what was shown in the clip and shared online.

Much of the online reaction centered on the guard himself, with many commenters surprised that an older employee was the one giving chase. One user wrote that security guards and cops should at least carry something like a Taser, arguing that an older guard going after a younger suspect only works out “unless he’s way superior physically.”

The debate over guard safety points to a wider retail security problem

Other commenters focused on the store’s layout rather than the guard’s age, with one person asking whether a guard should also be stationed on the first floor, referencing a past incident where a female clerk chased a suspect who also got away. No evidence was provided to confirm this had happened before at the same location. Confrontations between shoplifting suspects and store staff have circulated widely online in recent months, including a similar Walmart security standoff that also drew a divided reaction over how far security should go.

Shoplifting, known as manbiki in Japan, is treated as a serious offense. Under Penal Code Article 235, theft can carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison or a fine of up to 500,000 yen, and suspects can be held for up to 23 days before being formally charged, including 72 hours of initial police custody followed by up to 20 days of prosecutor-authorized detention, according to Abe Legal.

For those caught, the most common path forward is a jidan, a private settlement with the store that involves repaying the value of the items, making an apology payment, and securing a letter stating the store does not seek punishment. That settlement often factors heavily into whether prosecutors move forward with a case at all, and the stakes rise considerably for tourists or foreign residents, since a conviction can lead to deportation, a five-year re-entry ban, or loss of visa status.

Similar standoffs over suspected theft have escalated once security or bystanders intervened, as seen in another viral Walmart security standoff that ended with the suspect in handcuffs. Running from security, as shown in the Osaka video, carries its own legal risk, since a theft investigation can escalate into a charge of post-theft robbery if any force is used during an escape attempt.