At a Walmart Christmas event for children, a Virginia guy attempted to steal almost $1,400 in front of almost fifty officers!#Chesterfield County, Virginia, #News #Crime
It’s not the ideal moment to commit a crime in Chesterfield County, Virginia! When a guy was detained for theft while scores of law enforcement officers were on hand to help local kids with their Christmas shopping, Chesterfield, Virginia’s annual Shop with a Cop event took an unexpected turn.
Shoplifting Incident Unfolds During Holiday Event
Following a staff member’s notice to an ongoing shoplifting crime, the Chesterfield County Police Department was dispatched to a Walmart on IronBridge Road on Sunday. When the theft happened, the event—which matches kids with local police officers to assist them in shopping for holiday presents—was already well underway.
Chesterfield County Police Lt. James Lamb told CBS 6. A Walmart employee approached us and told us that there was a stealing going on. In order to guarantee the event’s success, roughly fifty uniformed officers—including both local police and sheriff’s deputies—were present at the business at the time. The suspect nevertheless made an effort to steal goods valued at almost $1,400.
Arrest and Charges
Hector D. Velazquez Maldonado, 32, was the culprit who attempted to leave the scene by going out the rear of the store. His brief flight was cut short, though, as police swiftly caught him.
To make the arrest even more uncommon, Lt. Lamb said, “I think he was stunned.” It was unexpected that Maldonado carried on with the theft given the significant police presence, which included 30–40 marked patrol cars in the parking lot. Maldonado’s car was parked in a way that would have made it obvious that there were police cars all around him, Lt. Lamb noted.
He would have needed to see our cars since when we located his, it was facing the direction of where we parked them. It appears that he simply didn’t care.
Maldonado is currently facing a felony charge of grand larceny. Police also disclosed that he had open larceny cases in Chesterfield County and current warrants for failing to appear in court on a separate shoplifting accusation.
A Day of Holiday Cheer Despite the Disruption
Even though the goal of the Shop with a Cop program was to make local kids happy, it was a success. Despite the unplanned disruption, officers were still able to work with the kids and spread festive cheer. The highlight of the day was undoubtedly spending time with some amazing children, the Chesterfield Police Department posted on Facebook.
The Chesterfield Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 47 and other kind benefactors who helped make the event possible were also acknowledged by the department. In addition to our colleagues at the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office who helped us spread some holiday cheer, we are grateful to the Chesterfield FOP Lodge 47 and other kind donors who made the event possible.
Even though the arrest came as a terrible surprise, the community’s support for the event remained strong, demonstrating that the cops’ and donors’ kindness had a long-lasting effect on the kids they assisted.
CONNECTED TOPICS: Virginia Crime
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