<p class="speakable">A <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/us-regions/southeast/louisiana" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Louisiana</a> mother of three was honored Tuesday for lending police a hand—or in this case, her car—to help an officer chase down a suspected shoplifter over the weekend.</p><p class="speakable">The pursuit began Saturday at a Dillards store in Slidell when Sgt. Jeff Kahrs was alerted to a shoplifting in-progress, the Slidell Police Department said.</p><p>The suspect, later identified as 34-year-old Kelsey Baird, of <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/us-regions/southeast/florida" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Navarre, Florida</a>, spotted Kahrs entering the store and discarded the items she was allegedly trying to steal, according to police.</p><p>When Kahrs tried to stop Baird from leaving the store, she ran through the parking lot and jumped into a car that was waiting outside, police said, adding that the vehicle was driven byBaird's boyfriend, 43-year-old Eric Boudreaux, of Biloxi, Mississippi.</p><p><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/female-police-officer-leaps-water-fights-career-criminal-before-making-arrest-video-shows" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><strong>FEMALE POLICE OFFICER LEAPS INTO WATER, FIGHTS CAREER CRIMINAL BEFORE MAKING ARREST, VIDEO SHOWS</strong></a></p><p>Police bodycam video shows Kahrs chasing Baird until she hops into the waiting car and speeds off through the parking lot. That's when a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/hero-officers-good-samaritans-who-went-above-beyond-2024" rel="noopener" target="_blank">kindly stranger</a> stops and asks Kahrs if he needs a ride.</p><p>"Want to hop in?" the good Samaritan says.</p><p>Kahrs accepted the assist and got in the car, helping the woman navigate to chase down the suspects.</p><p><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/alleged-porch-pirate-womens-clothing-busted-after-surveillance-video-goes-viral-particular-look" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><strong>ALLEGED PORCH PIRATE IN WOMEN'S CLOTHING BUSTED AFTER SURVEILLANCE VIDEO GOES VIRAL: 'PARTICULAR LOOK'</strong></a></p><p>"The citizen-officer duo safety followed the suspects, while Sgt. Kahrs gave a play to play to responding officers via his police radio," police said in a statement.</p><p>Moments later, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/crime/police-and-law-enforcement" rel="noopener" target="_blank">backup arrived</a> to help take the suspects into custody.</p><p>Both Baird and Boudreaux were charged with <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/crime/robbery-theft" rel="noopener" target="_blank">theft and resisting an officer</a> by flight. Baird was additionally charged with meth possession.</p><p>Police Chief Daniel Seuzeneau thanked the good Samaritan for lending his officer a hand.</p><p>"To the good Samaritan, who I spoke with this morning, people like you are the reason why Slidell is a great place to live and work," the chief said. "Without hesitation, you assisted one of our officers …expecting nothing in return."</p><p>On Tuesday, police identified the good Samaritan as Lesli Smith, a citizen of Slidell, and presented her with the Citizenship Award during a ceremony with police and Slidell Mayor Randy Fandal.</p><p>"All I was thinking at the time was, ‘How could I help,’" the mother of three said.</p><p>Smith added that she lived in Slidell all her life and wanted to emphasize how impressed she was with the police department’s hard work and response to the alleged shoplifting.</p><p>"I was so impressed, that was my most important thing I wanted to come across," Smith told reporters at the ceremony. She added that after she dropped Kahrs off to apprehend the suspects, she made a U-turn and went back to shopping at TJ Maxx.</p><p><a href="https://foxnews.onelink.me/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP</strong></a></p><p>Seuzeneau warned in an earlier statement that any would-be thieves should think twice before preying upon businesses in Slidell.</p><p>"We will do whatever it takes to catch you and fully prosecute you. Stay out of our city," he said.</p>