Three New York City police officers were called to a Whole Foods store Thursday after a woman was accused of shoplifting. Instead of arresting her, they paid for the food she had stashed in her bag.

Paul Bozymowski, a film and television director who was at the store, tweeted a photo of the woman with her hands and a tissue over her face as she and the officers stood near the exit at the Whole Foods in Union Square.

"This woman was being held by security. She had food in her bag she didn’t pay for. When the NYPD showed up, they paid for her food," Bozymowski wrote.

The police force's chief of department, Terence Monahan, retweeted Bozymowski's photo, saying the three officers are part of the NYPD's Strategic Response Group, and "are the kind-hearted cops who quietly do good deeds for New Yorkers in need."

He thanked Bozymowski for sharing the show of caring and "highlighting the often unnoticed."

"It was very moving to see such a genuine act of kindness," Bozymowski told NBC News. "My hope is that the moment inspires others to be generous and kind as well."