A woman stole $700 worth of merchandise in front of a police officer.
A Michigan man was arrested for stealing from a Walmart store in Livingston County, about an hour northwest of Detroit, on the same day the store was holding its annual “Shop with a Cop” event. It was done.
Police officers were clearly inside the store during the event as they paraded through the parking lot with sirens and lights blaring.
At the time, Walmart had nearly 75 executives from various agencies.
The 62-year-old woman loaded her cart with $730 worth of stolen goods.
She went straight through the self-checkout and refused to show her receipt when an employee asked to see what she had purchased.
She bulldozed past Walmart employees and then headed straight for her car, which was ironically parked right next to the police officer.
“Food, clothing, all kinds of things,” Michigan State Police Lt. Rene Gonzalez told local Fox affiliate WJBK. “It wasn’t packed in a bag, and she walked out of the store with it.”
“I have to say I was surprised when I was driving my patrol car because people slowed down,” Gonzalez said.
“When you see 75 police officers in the store, I don’t know if they probably thought we were too busy,” he added.
Walmart shopper Mariah Mannion agreed, saying, “Honestly, I don’t think anyone in their right mind would do something like that.”
The “Shop with a Cop” event is a charity that supports families through donations from local businesses.
The event is set up so that children can shop on their own while walking around the store with an assigned police officer.
“We take kids to the store who might not have had a good Christmas,” Gonzalez said.
“They receive a $100, sometimes $150 gift card to go shopping with their families,” she added.
The 62-year-old woman was arrested and taken to the Livingston County Jail.
She was taken into custody and will be charged with retail fraud.
The woman’s name has not yet been released because she has not been formally charged with a crime.