Brazen theft at Halifax Walmart leaves boy shaken, with bad dreams

Nine-year-old Omar Seoudi was daydreaming in a Halifax Walmart last week when something strange happened.

Omar and his mother were waiting near the checkout at the Mumford Road location while his father went back to get one more thing.

"A guy just came out of nowhere and gave her a pack of socks and said, 'Is this pack of socks yours?'" Omar told CBC News.

"And while the guy was giving her the socks, a girl just came and then she stared at me for like three seconds and then just took my mom's bag."

When his family immigrated to Canada last year, they told him Canada was a safe country so it didn't cross his mind that he was watching a robbery.

"I feel pretty guilty because I could have literally stopped the problem," he said. "I would have literally saved my mom's purse, so in my opinion it's my fault because I didn't do a thing when I saw her stealing it."

When his mother realized what had happened, she raced after the thieves, but they escaped. The family regrouped, told the store what had happened, and called the police. The theft happened late in the evening of Aug. 1.

'I will protect you'

His parents told him it wasn't his fault and tried to comfort him. But that night, he jumped and talked in his sleep.

His father, Mostafa, said they noticed the next day that Omar was keeping an eagle eye on both his parents and a suspicious eye on everyone else.

"He sometimes came to my right side, sometimes to my left. I ask him, 'Why are you doing this?'" Mostafa said.

"He says, 'I will protect you this time. I know some people are very bad and they will steal (from) you, so I will protect you. I learned from my mistakes.'"

His parents told him he didn't do anything wrong; the thieves did.

Omar didn't just talk in his sleep he also talked to the police.

He wants to be a scientist when he grows up and has a keen eye for detail. He gave police a clear description of the woman who looked him in the eye before stealing from his mother.

"I saw her with freckles on her face and she had short blond hair all the way to like over here," he said, pointing to his neck. "And she had a black mask; the unusualbut goodthing was she had her mask off when she stole it."

The family said they lost keys, credit cards and cash. But the worst thing they lost was their son's sense of security.

Omar, meanwhile, has been watching videos on how to stop thieves. He said they won't catch him daydreaming a second time.

Halifax police are investigating.

Brazen theft at Halifax Walmart leaves boy shaken, with bad dreams

4 years ago

Duration 2:32

When Omar Seoudi's family immigrated to Canada last year, they told him Canada was a safe country, so it didn't cross his mind that he was watching a robbery when a woman grabbed his mother's bag at a Halifax Walmart.