Supermarket staff were forced to wrestle a suspected shoplifter to the ground after they left without paying for a trolley full of food.
The incident, in the car park of The Food Warehouse, in Leigh, on Tuesday, was captured on camera by another shopper.
According to a spokesperson for Iceland, which owns the shop, two men had tried to leave with stock 'for which they had not paid'.
Paul Taylor was visiting the supermarket with his wife when he saw the group of workers chasing the suspected thieves.
"There were two men and one woman who had pinched a trolley full of food," he explained
"The lads who worked there came out and surrounded the car.
"They were really brave and a credit to the store."
Footage captured by Mr Taylor shows the four workers retrieving items from the boot of a blue Vauxhall Zafira.
One of the suspected thieves then confronts a worker before a colleague comes to his aid and throws the man to the ground.
When he attempts to get back to his feet, he is knocked back down again.
As the workers continue pulling items from the boot, the man gets back into the vehicle.
And as one staff member grabs his phone and tries to take a picture of the registration number, the car speeds away with its boot still open.
A video of the incident has since been shared thousands of times on Facebook, with users praising the bravery of the shop workers.
A spokesperson for the supermarket said the incident had been reported to police.
He added: "Our store manager and a colleague intervened to recover the stock as it was being loaded into a car.
"A struggle ensued during which our store manager was pushed over, but he is unhurt. The registration number of the vehicle involved has been reported to the police and the matter is now in their hands.
"At a time when our stores and colleagues are under unprecedented pressure, and we are doing our utmost to keep our customers supplied with food and to help the elderly and vulnerable in particular, it is extremely frustrating that some individuals regard this as an opportunity to steal."
Over the past week, supermarkets across the country have seen shelves emptied of essentials, with many shoppers placing more items in their baskets than necessary following the outbreak of coronavirus.
Mr Taylor said he was visiting the shop, in Parsonage Retail Park, to buy milk, bread and paracetamol for an elderly friend.
However, he said the shelves were 'virtually empty' at the time.
He added: "There are elderly people who cannot get food and then you have people like this who are just pinching it. The world is going crazy."
Greater Manchester Police have been contacted for further information.
