Gig Harbor shoplifters are more active as holidays approach, police reports show

Shoplifters are becoming more active and organized as the holidays approach, according to Gig Harbor police reports. In several recent cases, shoplifters operated in teams of two or three using lookouts. In two incidents, shoplifting suspects led police on car chases through crowded parking lots, one of them ending in a crash.

Footwear is a favorite target. One Gig Harbor shoe store was hit by shoplifters almost twice a week in November, reports show.

Here are some of the most recent incidents:

Walkie-talkies didn’t squawk

A shoplifting couple used walkie-talkies to communicate as one stole $1,500 worth of clothing from a Gig Harbor department store on Dec. 5, police reported. But the scheme fell apart when the lookout fell asleep in his car.

An officer on patrol in the parking lot of Kohl’s Department Store, 4929 Pt. Fosdick Dr., became suspicious of a brown Mercedes without license plates, according to the report, and noticed a man sleeping inside with a walkie-talkie in his lap. The officer watched as a 58-year-old woman emerged from the store with a shopping cart piled high with merchandise and began loading it into the car.

When stopped, the woman admitted the items were stolen and apologized, saying it was her first attempt in Gig Harbor. She usually shoplifted in Kent, she explained.

A walkie-talkie was found wrapped in a towel among the stolen clothing.

Ruston couple sought in grocery theft

A young woman stole $1,000 worth of groceries from the Albertson’s store at 11330 51st Ave. on Dec. 5, police say, and was driven away by a man in a Ford F-150 pickup.

A license check connected the pickup to a similar incident in Puyallup on Nov. 5. Detectives are seeking a 29-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man, both from Ruston.

Parking lot chase ends in crash

A shoplifting suspect led police on a high-speed chase through crowded parking lots before crashing into a tree Nov. 15, police reported. The suspect, a 30-year-old Tukwila woman, was arrested.

The pursuit began when an officer noticed a Ford F-150 truck with no plates parked near the emergency exit at the Costco store, 10990 Harbor Hill Drive. Emergency exits are often used by shoplifters, police said.

The woman bolted when an officer approached, and the officer gave chase with lights and siren. The officer abandoned the chase when the truck entered the crowded parking lot of the Home Depot store on Borgen Boulevard, but excited passersby pointed to where the truck had crashed into a tree. The woman was arrested as she walked away from the truck, which proved to be stolen and contained drug paraphernalia, police said.

Meanwhile, a man believed to be the woman’s accomplice was stopped in the Home Depot with a cart full of vacuums. Store employees told police they had been warned a man matching the same description had stolen four vacuums from a Home Depot in Woodinville. The 29-year-old Seattle man had numerous prior shoplifting citations. He was released with a trespass warning.

Slow-rolling chase in store parking lot

A suspected shoplifter escaped from police Nov. 28 after being spotted with an armload of clothing outside Marshall’s Department Store, 4601 Pt. Fosdick Drive, officers said. A woman believed to be his accomplice was detained.

Officers became suspicious of a silver BMW SUV in the parking lot because it had no plates and heavily tinted windows, the report said. A woman inside said she was waiting for a man shopping in the store. When the man emerged with an armload of clothing, he jumped into the car and drove away, the police car following with lights and siren. At one point, the car slowed to a “slow roll,” and the woman jumped out, the officer said.

The officer broke off the chase and detained the 37-year-old woman, who had numerous felony theft warrants. Her cellphone showed text messages to and from the man inside the store, including one asking, “Are you almost done?”

A license check traced the fleeing car to a 49-year-old man from Kent. Both were referred for prosecution.

Shoplifting trio interrupted

Officers interrupted a shoplifting team of three people as they attempted to steal goods from Home Depot, 5120 Borgen Blvd. on Nov. 26, police said.

Officers became suspicious of a gold-colored Oldsmobile Silhouette van because it had no plates, according to the report. They found a 54-year-old Tacoma man loading about $600 worth of merchandise into the rear door. Inside the store, a plainclothes officer detained a woman whose shopping bag was filled with cameras and other electronic items as she attempted to pass the self-checkout point without paying. A second accomplice, a male, was identified as well.

Due to COVID booking restrictions, the male suspect was given a citation and released, after being advised to take his two accomplices with him.

Footwear store a shoplift favorite

Famous Footwear, 5151 Borgen Boulevard, was hit by shoplifters more than once a week in November, police reported.

On Nov. 27, a woman stole two pairs of women’s Nikes valued at $80 each. On Nov. 26, an unidentified man stole two pairs of Nike MXs valued at $80 and a pair of Timberland boots at $120. On Nov. 20, the store lost two pairs of Nike Air Max shoes valued at $155. On Nov. 4, a woman took three pairs of shoes and fled through the emergency exit.

On Nov. 2, a man took three boxes of shoes totaling $175 and said: “don’t touch me” to employees as he left.

In other shoplifting cases:

▪ A man wheeling a cart full of DeWalt power tools out the contractor’s exit of Home Dept, 5120 Borgen Blvd., was asked by employees if he intended to pay. “I’ll think about it,” the man replied. Then he loaded the tools into his car and drove away.

▪ A man-and-woman team made off with 17 pairs of Carhartt jeans from the Wilco store at 3408 Hunt Street on Nov. 5, police reported. The couple drove away in a white Cadillac Escalade with large chrome rims. The jeans were valued at $800.

This story was originally published December 8, 2021 at 5:00 AM.