Two arrested for shoplifting in pair of incidents at Plaza de La Cañada
Plaza de La Cañada, a shopping center on Foothill Boulevard at Oakwood Avenue, was hit by two incidents of shoplifting Tuesday resulting in two arrests and multiple charges, including battery and grand theft, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department detective confirmed.
Det. Brian Tibbett of the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station said the first incident occurred at around 4:10 p.m., when a 46-year-old Asian male from La Crescenta was seen taking items from the cosmetics section of Rite-Aid.
NEWSLETTER: Stay up to date with what’s going on in your community >>
“The individual went inside and pretty much scooped up a bunch of cosmetics off the counter,” Tibbett said Thursday, adding that the man was confronted in the parking lot by the store’s loss prevention officer. “He was seen taking about $600 worth of products from the store. (And) he had over $700 of cosmetics in his trunk.”
The man was arrested for grand theft, according to the detective.
Two hours later, at 6:10 p.m., the Crescenta Valley Station received another call about a shoplifting incident at Gelson’s Market, also located in Plaza de La Canada. There, a man described as a 29-year-old white male from Sunland, was observed shoplifting.
“The individual went inside and started walking around, picking up some food and eating it. Then he went outside without paying,” Tibbett said.
The suspect was in possession of some unspecified items when he left the grocery store, which provoked the attention of a loss prevention officer who followed him and confronted him about the theft.
“When he was confronted, a scuffle ensued. The individual was ultimately overpowered,” reported Tibbett, adding that while the man was originally arrested for strong-arm robbery, due to his use of force, the crime was ultimately recorded as an incident of shoplifting and battery against the loss prevention officer.
