Ghosts, goblins, zombies, it’s that time of the year again to dust off the spooky movies and scary tales meant to put a chill up your spine. Hollywood always seems to have a batch of new releases ready about now to evoke nightmares and make us wake up in a cold sweat. We are sure that we see a poltergeist lurking in the corner of the bedroom or in the closet after we watch one of these films. Yes, I admit I am a big coward and have to put my hands over my face and peek out through my fingers to watch Freddy slash his next victim or Jason terrorize a group of kids at a camp in the middle of the woods. But there are real scary stories of my own to share that don’t have anything to do with ghouls. Mine are real-life scary stories of shoplifters I have dealt with during my years in retail Loss Prevention.
Scary movies always seem to be set in spooky locations. I found myself in a different type of spooky setting while chasing a shoplifter. The criminal had stolen some clothing, I believe they were expensive shirts and when I attempted to stop him, he ran. At that time the store I worked for allowed us to pursue shoplifters. I chased the suspect inside an old abandoned building about a mile from the store. I did not go far before I stopped and realized this was no place for me to be alone. The building was formerly an apartment building that had been torn apart on the inside and was turned into a crack house. Old mattresses, clothing, and junk filled the areas that I could see. Although I could hear the police car sirens of the officers responding to assist me in my pursuit, I decided that this was one shoplifter I was not going to continue chasing. It may not have been Amityville Horror but it wasn’t a place I was going to stay and I quickly got out of there.
As a Loss Prevention Officer, I had a woman I watched shoplifting multiple pieces of clothing. This shoplifter was pulling off tags, hiding empty hangers after taking the clothes off and then stuffing her purse with the merchandise. When I attempted to stop her, the subject ran from me. I called on my radio to our store operator and requested police assistance. As I chased the suspect we got across the road to a wooded area. She stopped, turned around and put her hand in her purse and threatened me, telling me to leave her alone. I told her to remove her hand from the purse but she refused, implying there could be a weapon but never brandishing one. I did use some discretion and did not move any closer. As we stood talking (yelling was more like it), local police officers arrived, drew their weapons and demanded she remove her hand and comply. She did eventually remove her hand and was arrested. I later learned my suspect had prior arrests for shoplifting but the one arrest on her record that concerned me was the “Involuntary Manslaughter” conviction. The thought of an Involuntary Manslaughter conviction put a chill down my spine!
One of my scariest encounters was with a shoplifter who was stealing purses in my store. I thought the suspect had stolen one earlier in the day, and so when “she” returned later that evening and was wearing the same coat, I recognized her and began observing her. She had her own purse she was carrying, so when she stole one of ours, she put it under her long trench coat. I stopped her and brought her back to the store, keeping a grip on the suspect’s coat. As we got near the security office, the suspect attempted to pull away, slipping out of the coat. I held onto her purse and coat and retrieved our merchandise as the suspect fought to get away. Leaving the items in the store, I chased the suspect. I lost her at the nearby convention center in a crowd of people. When I returned to the store and searched the suspect’s purse I found a prison I.D. card and a butcher’s knife. The suspect was a male, dressed as a female and was out on parole. Fortunately this did not turn into a different slasher tale.
Tricks and Treats are great for Halloween, but not for Loss Prevention personnel. Remember that the person you think you are dealing with may be someone else in disguise. Be careful out there!
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