I wish this real-world Grinch's brain were three sizes bigger.
A Virginia man was arrested on suspicion of attempting to steal more than $1,000 worth of merchandise from Walmart. It happened in front of dozens of police officers who were at the store for a holiday event.
A would-be robber attacked a Chesterfield County Walmart on Sunday as local police held an annual “Shop with a Cop” event in which local police work with needy children to help them pick out Christmas presents. did.
Chesterfield County Police Lt. James Lamb said nearly 50 police officers and sheriff's deputies were surrounding the store at the time of the attempted theft. CBS6.
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But the overwhelming law enforcement presence did not deter 32-year-old Hector Velasquez Maldonado from attempting to flee with nearly $1,400 worth of merchandise, police said.
Police said security footage showed Maldonado attempting to hide a large amount of items on his person as he left the store.
Officers received a report of shoplifting in progress at the very store they were all stationed at, and began searching the floor for the suspect, who they quickly located.
“When we approached from a different direction, he tried to run out the back of the store and we arrested him. I think he was stunned,” Lamb told CBS6.
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Officers were stunned that Maldonado would attempt to commit a crime despite the obvious presence of police in the area.
“There were 30 to 40 marked police cars in the parking lot. When we found his car, it was facing where our car was parked, so he It didn't seem to matter to him,” Lam told the station.
Maldonado was a repeat shoplifter and had outstanding warrants for his arrest for failure to appear in court, along with several unresolved theft cases in Chesterfield County, officials said.
In addition to his unsolved case, he now faces a felony charge of grand larceny for the robbery that cost him his vacation, CBS6 reports.
