By Daniella Segura
Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.)
UPLAND, Calif. — When an accused shoplifter bolted through a store’s “emergency exit with a bag of loot,” he headed toward a getaway car in the parking lot, California police say.
As the suspect sprints toward the moving car, clutching a large black bag, the rear door on the driver’s side closes, and the car speeds away, a video shared by the Upland Police Department in a Sept. 24 post on X, formerly known as Twitter, shows.
“The (driver of the) getaway car saw the police car and bailed on their partner,” police said.
The suspect looks around the parking lot for a moment, then throws the bag on the ground, the video shows.
He casually walks away but dashes as lights from a police car approach.
After chasing him through the parking lot, officers took the suspect into custody, police said.
The getaway car, however, was able to evade police “(for the time being),” the department said.
Police said they recovered the stolen merchandise, which was worth nearly $2,000.
The suspect, on parole for a separate incident, was booked into jail on counts of “grand theft, organized retail theft, conspiracy, and put on a parole hold,” according to police.
Upland is about a 40-mile drive east from Los Angeles.
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