Last night, we were walking down Newbury Street in Boston and saw a guy in a brown shirt, probably in his late teens or early 20s, bolt out of Newbury Comics. An employee quickly followed, running into the street and screaming, “Hey!” The guy kept running, and she gave up after about 30 feet, stared at him as he continued to flee, and then turned around and went inside.

It took me a few seconds to process what was happening, but then it was obvious: The guy had stolen something. Had my first instinct been to bolt after him, I might have caught him. He wasn’t running all that fast, and there aren’t many places to hide. But instead, like everyone else on the street, I just watched. Watched the guy turn the corner. Watched the employee walk back into the store. And then it was over.

I felt bad, like I enabled the crime, as if this kind of thing can happen because we let it happen. I wondered if anyone else would have acted if the employee was more dramatic — yelling “Stop, thief!” or something like that. But then, what would I have done if I ran after the guy? Tackled him? I’m void of tackling experience. And even if I did, then what? Pin him until cops come? I have no idea.

During my freshman year of college, a few friends and I were at a coffee shop when something similar happened: A guy parked a van outside the shop, went inside, grabbed something (although I can’t remember what), and then ran back in the van and took off. We didn’t notice this until the van started screeching and an employee screamed. Two of my friends immediately ran out the door and bolted down the street after the van, which was pretty futile. I mean, not only were they not faster than a van, what exactly were they going to do if they actually did catch up with the van? Tackle it?

They came back a few minutes later, huffing and puffing, and we told them they were idiots. “What if those guys had a gun?” someone said. But the employees were thankful, and my two friends got free coffee. At least, I suppose, they tried.