GREENFIELD, Ind. (CBS Local) — A CVS employee says he and a co-worker were unfairly terminated last month for stopping a thief from stealing drugs.

Zacharia Phillips says he and a co-worker were fired a few days after they pulled a man to the ground as he tried to run out the front door. He said the man had pushed a pharmacist and attempted to take Oxycodone.

“I was defending myself, defending my pharmacist,” he told CBS afilliate WTTV.

Phillips said the company told him he violated their policy.

“If we get attacked, we are not even allowed to defend ourselves,” Phillips said.

An employee is upset with CVS Pharmacy after a robbery at his store #4YourMorning https://t.co/VlCGxDI4Vy — CBS4 Indy (@CBS4Indy) December 6, 2018

But CVS said the two workers broke company policy “by initiating physical confrontation.”

“We have stringent security policies and procedures in place to prohibit actions by employees that would jeopardize their safety and the safety of others,” CVS Pharmacy said in a statement. “The actions of two employees at our Greenfield store during a recent attempted robbery violated those policies and procedures by initiating a physical confrontation, which led to our decision to separate them from the company.”

Phillips said it happened so quick that he didn’t have time to think about CVS’ policy. However, he doesn’t regret his actions.

“He could have been out to hurt somebody else or endangered somebody’s life if he had gotten drugs,” Phillips said.

Greenfield police arrested the suspect involved in the incident. Jagger Maupin, 22, faces several preliminary charges, including robbery, resisting law enforcement, obstruction of justice, theft and battery.