ATLANTA , Georgia ( CNN ) -- One of the things I find frustrating about modern American life is we wait for someone else -- anybody else -- to solve whatever problem it is that 's out there . Clark Howard says Best Buy should have lauded employees who ran after a shoplifter , not fired them . We see something and feel like it 's not our job . It 's the `` not in my silo '' mentality found in corporate America . But there are times we wait for help to arrive when we 're the help we seek . Unfortunately , this mentality has seeped beyond corporate America into normal earthlings . Have you heard the story about Jared Bergstreser and Colin Trapp ? These two Best Buy employees tackled a shoplifter they saw busting out of their Denver , Colorado-area store with stolen electronics . They wrestled the suspect to the ground at great personal risk . The perpetrator pulled out a knife and cut a manager before ultimately escaping , according to The Wall Street Journal . Bergstreser had been a three-year employee , while Trapp was on the job for less than a year . What did Best Buy do for these employees who showed such extreme loyalty ? They fired them . A spokeswoman for Best Buy said the company wo n't comment on the terminations . However , she said the company 's employees are aware of a policy of not pursuing shoplifters . Best Buy says the policy is in place for the safety of its employees . Watch Clark reveal a Vegas vacation scam » . This case is not unusual . I am privy to a story about a separate incident that happened with a discount retailer . Again , a couple of guys I know who were employees tackled a shoplifter . The suspect then pulled out a gun and tried to shoot them . They managed to disarm the shoplifter after he fired and he was taken into custody . Did they get a reward or bonus from their employer ? No , they were canned . I got some interesting reactions when I discussed these two stories in a pre-show meeting with my team . Somebody immediately piped up saying , `` Of course they have to fire them because of liability . '' Liability ? ! One of my producers even called me a vigilante . After all , I 'm the guy who chased down my own mugger on a Madrid subway train during a staff trip to Spain . In retrospect , what I did was really stupid because I could have gotten injured or worse . But my natural instinct just took over and I successfully recovered my wallet . The idea that we 're supposed to stand by idly and allow people to steal from us or steal from an employer is something that I just can not support . I think we have a responsibility to get involved . Otherwise , if you let a small number of lawbreakers get away with it whenever , then they get away with it over and over and over again . I could understand if Best Buy were so cowardly and afraid of a lawsuit that they felt these two employees should be sent to `` Best Buy re-education camp . '' Fine . But to fire them for trying to stop a brazen criminal who was armed and dangerous and busting out of the store with electronics ? I just do n't get it . And remember , when Bergstreser and Trapp went after this person , there was no benefit for them , unlike my experience being mugged in Madrid . They were putting themselves in danger to protect their employer . You should be , if not rewarded for that , then at least not punished ! I believe Best Buy is sending a terrible message by firing them . What do you think ?
Howard says there are times we wait for help to arrive when we 're the one we need . Best friend employees tackle incidents and get fired as a result . Howard says incident is not unusual but sends a terrible message .