Drugstore LP associate chases, kills shoplifter
The incident started at a CVS Pharmacy on Sunday afternoon. Surveillance video recorded at the store shows Christopher Geddes, 31, shoplifting from the store. According to the Dallas Police Department (DPD), Geddes headed to the parking lot after taking the items and hopped in a light-colored Toyota Camry. Julio Ruvalcaba, the store’s loss prevention associate, chased Geddes out of the store. When Geddes and the driver of the car sped away, Ruvalcaba jumped into his charcoal-gray Chevrolet Camaro and followed. Witnesses told police they saw Ruvalcaba chasing Geddes on the highway. When the two cars got to an exit ramp, the Camry hit a road sign, spinning out and flattening one its tires. The driver of the Camry then drove the car through an intersection of service roads, and Ruvalcaba followed.
After Ruvalcaba stopped his car, Geddes got out of the Camry and approached the Camaro. As Geddes approached the car, Ruvalcaba shot him in the torso, according to police, before driving away. Police say they are still looking for Ruvalcaba’s car. They provided a photo of a similar charcoal-gray Camaro, but Ruvalcaba’s car likely has damage from making contact with the Camry during the chase. Ruvalcaba was arrested on Tuesday and is in the Dallas County Jail, charged with murder. His bail is $200,000. [For more: Dallas Observer]
CA man punches Rite Aid LP Associate in the face, steals alcohol
A man who authorities say punched a Rite Aid employee while trying to steal alcohol from the store is still on the loose. A 6-foot-tall, 175-pound black man, described as being 20 to 26 years of age, reportedly entered a Rite Aid when, according to San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department officials, the man attempted to conceal multiple bottles of alcohol in his backpack, prompting a Rite Aid loss prevention associate to attempt to contact him as he exited the business.
“When the Loss Prevention Associate identified himself, the suspect charged the officer, punched him in the face, and left the store with the unpaid alcohol,” sheriff’s officials said in a statement. “The suspect was last seen leaving the location on a small BMX-style bicycle on La Paz Drive.” The man was last seen wearing a black Raiders cap, bandana, white T-shirt, black shorts, black shoes with white soles and carrying a two-tone brown backpack, authorities said. Anyone with information regarding this investigation is urged to contact Deputy Amanda Diaz at the Victorville Sheriff’s Station at 760-241-2911. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-782-7463 or visit www.wetip.com. [For more: Daily Press]
Broward County employee helps steal more than $1.6 million from homeowners
An employee working in the Broward County Records and Treasury Division was arrested on the job Thursday by Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) deputies. Roberto Martinez, 46, faces 102 felony charges, which include grand theft, money laundering, forgery and official misconduct, according to his arrest warrant. When Martinez was approached by police at his job, “he was not evading capture,” said Keyla Concepcion, senior public information officer for BSO. “We took him into custody today after obtaining the arrest warrant.” According to the warrant, he distributed more than $1.6 million of surplus tax deed funds meant to be returned to homeowners. When a property owner fails to pay their taxes, the county can auction off the property in a tax-deed sale. Any excess money that comes from that sale, after the creditors are paid off, is supposed to be returned to the previous property owner. Instead, Martinez, working with five others, BSO says, forged county documents and distributed the money to the five and himself.
The five co-conspirators… Denis Eugene, Marc Eugene, Dim Villarson, Gawens St Victor, and Patricia Eugene, would face separate charges. They have not been arrested. Martinez also deposited $89,100 into his own bank accounts and bought a $6,000 Kia Sorrento in cash with the fraudulently obtained money, according to BSO. His bond is set at $915, 000. “It is obvious that (Martinez) provided (his co-conspirators) information,” Broward sheriff’s detective John Calabro said “It is obvious that he participated in the fraud. They filed powers of attorney in each case and Mr. Martinez was in charge of reviewing the paperwork. He authorized the issuance of the checks. The investigation uncovered about $1.6 million in losses to numerous former owners of homes in Broward County.” [For more: Miami Herald]
Teen resists loss prevention staff, charged with robbery [Viral Video]
A teenage girl was booked in the Juvenile Detention Hall in Vancouver, Washington, this week, accused of trying to steal candy from a WinCo store. A video posted to Facebook on Saturday shows loss prevention staff detain the girl as she attempts to flee the store. Many people argue that the staff was too rough with the girl. However, a Vancouver police report said no witnesses saw loss prevention use any “assaultive behavior on the girl that would be considered excessive force.” The girl’s mother, Jackie VanDuker, says she understands what her daughter did was wrong, but the way it was handled was excessive. “It was all wrong. She did steal and that’s wrong, she needs to be held accountable for that candy bar, but the way they handled it was all wrong,” VanDuker said. After seeing the video and how the loss prevention associates handled her daughter, VanDuker says the employees need to be re-trained.
The video shows the girl struggle as she continues to resist being restrained by the employees. VanDuker says her daughter is young and was scared when two employees came after her. Police said the only injuries the girl sustained were a scraped knee and elbow. “There should be consequences for them, for treating a 14-year-old like that,” VanDuker said. The girl was booked into the Juvenile Detention Hall for second-degree robbery, a felony. “I just know how hard it is going to be with a felony, and over a candy bar? It’s stupid,” her mom said. Vancouver Police say the charge was upped to felony robbery because the girl resisted and employees sustained minor injuries. [For more: KATU2 News]
Six men tried to use stolen credit card information
Officials say the sixth member of a conspiracy that tried to commit credit fraud card in rural communities in Virginia pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Roanoke, VA. According to US Attorney Rick Mountcastle, Quentin Bruce pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Officials say the other five co-conspirators, Keyshawn Berchel Hunter, 27, of Florence, SC, Daquan Damese James, 24, of Darlington, SC, Roland Marcell Bruce, 23, of Darlington, SC and Markese Davon Robinson, 21, of Darlington, SC, and Marquise Tyshawn James, 22, of Darlington, SC, pleaded guilty previously. Hunter, Daquan James, Bruce, and Robinson all pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Marquise James pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud. According to evidence presented at previous hearings, authorities responded to the Pearisburg Walmart for a report of several men trying to use several debit cards to make purchases that were declined.
The evidence showed a loss prevention associate told officials he saw the same men in the store a week earlier trying the same scheme. That associate was able to give police a description of the men and the vehicle they used. Officials say they found the vehicle matching that description and noticed the strong smell of the marijuana as they approached it. They say based on the drug’s smell, officers were able to search the car and found a bag of “green leafy material,” 16 Visa debit cards, 92 Visa gift cards, one credit card skimmer, and one HP laptop. Forensic examination by the Secret Service revealed that 89 of the Visa cards were re-encoded with stolen credit card numbers. Additionally, one of the conspirators admitted the group targeted Walmart stores in the southeast because the store wanted to keep the lines moving, which worked to their advantage. [For more: WSET13 News]
The post Breaking News in the Industry: July 12, 2017 appeared first on LPM.