Sandy MalonePhoenix, AZ – A man wearing reindeer slippers on the Phoenix light rail stole a handicapped woman’s wheelchair right out from under her on Thanksgiving (video below).
The incident occurred on Nov. 29 as the train pulled into the 12th Street – Jefferson station, the New York Post reported.
Surveillance video of the incident from inside the train showed a man in a red sweatshirt get up from his seat and approach a woman in a wheelchair.
The video showed he bent over to release the brakes on the chair and then began pushing the woman toward the doors of the train.
The woman grabbed onto handrails and grab bars and tried to fight the man who was pushing her from behind, but he was too strong.
The video showed he turned the chair away from the open door and dumped the woman on the floor of the train before fleeing out the door with her wheelchair.
That’s when surveillance video from the light rail platform showed two other passengers on the train went after the man, following him out the door and stopping him from making a getaway with the chair.
The video showed the wheelchair thief escaped the good Samaritans and made a run for it down the train platform, directly at the camera that was filming him.
Police released pictures of the suspect and they quickly went viral on social media, the New York Post reported.
He was identified as 26-year-old Austin Sherbutt.
Phoenix police said Sherbutt had two outstanding warrants at the time of his arrest, and is now also facing charges for robbery, kidnapping, and assault, the New York Post reported.
The suspect was still wearing his reindeer slippers when he was arrested.
Watch the bizarre incident unfold in the video below: