(CNN) A Massachusetts police officer used his own money to buy Christmas dinner for a family in need instead of charging two women with shoplifting. Somerset Police Officer Matt Lima was called to a Stop & Shop grocery store on December 20 after store security said the women didn't scan everything that they put in their bags at a self-checkout register, according to a statement on the police department's websiteThe women, who had two small children with them, were stopped as they left the store, police said. "I have two girls myself, similar on age to the two girls that were there, so it kind of struck me a little bit," Lima told CNN affiliate WJARLima took one of the women aside so they could talk about what happened without the children hearing. Store employees kept the kids occupied, so they wouldn't know what was going on.

Source: CNN January 02, 2021 11:03 UTC