Doug Ford says he threatened an alleged shoplifter with “a beating like he’s never got before” after the premier slipped his security detail and chased after the man earlier in the summer.

Speaking to a packed room at the Empire Club on Tuesday, Ford recalled how he had left his Etobicoke home in July before his Ontario Provincial Police protection detail arrived for the day.

Ford said he drove to a local Home Depot looking to buy plants to spruce up his Muskoka cottage before Prime Minister Mark Carney stayed there. Once he was at the store, he said he saw a man run out with a bag, followed by security and the location’s manager.

The premier said the pair told him they weren’t allowed to chase after the alleged thief.

“I’m in my car, so I said, ‘Screw this, I’m going after this guy,

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