In what is becoming a rare sight, a would-be shoplifter in New York City was apprehended by police in a store in Queens. Footage post...
In what is becoming a rare sight, a would-be shoplifter in New York City was apprehended by police in a store in Queens.
Footage posted to Instagram shows 45-year-old Franklin Nunez struggling with two cops from the NYPD as he attempted to make his getaway from Marshall's Department store in Rego Park.
Shocked customers took out their phones to capture the drama which was posted to social media on Thursday.
A man was stopped by two NYPD officers as he tried to shoplift from a Marshall's store in Queens, New York
Officers struggled with Franklin Nunez, 45, who attempted to leave with a variety of goods
Various items of clothing could be seen lying on the ground along with some of the stores shelving which was knocked over in the melee.
Despite there being two police officers on the scene tackling the thief, the pair struggled to contain the man who managed to make his way out out of the door.
The two police officers could be heard yelling during the scuffle.
According to the Instagram post, Nunez is said to have been able to get away before being caught shortly afterwards after 10 more cops descended on the scene.
Nunez had an outstanding warrant for grand larceny and has 15 prior arrests on charges of burglary and drug possession.
He was charged with assault on a police officer and possession of burglar tools.
Police were called to the store after a change in police at Marshall stores which instructs staff call to 911 immediately when they spot a shoplifter.
Previously, staff were required to wait 30 minutes before summoning law enforcement by which time the perpetrator was long gone. — reversing a previous policy of waiting 30 minutes after the thief made off with the goods.
This actions taking during in this incident are in stark contrast to what has gone before in other shoplifting incidents.
One police officer can be seen on his hands and knees as he attempts to get back on his feet. The video is latest in brazen shoplifting which appears to be spreading across nation
After managing to get away, the man was later apprehended and charged
Robbery in New York City has spiked by about 33% in the week ending on January 23, the NYPD’s most recent data, with 944 incidents as compared to the 709 incidents reported in same duration last year
Actor and comedian Michael Rapaport, who posted footage on Instagram of a bold thief going for a shoplifting spree in NYC on Tuesday, said he was 'disgusted' by the brazen crime
Rapaport told DailyMail.com he was ‘disgusted’ and ‘surprised’ when he saw the thief stocking up on items from three different sections of the pharmacy before deciding he was satisfied
Actor and comedian Michael Rapaport filmed the moment a bold thief sauntered out of a Rite Aid on the Upper East side of New York City with two shopping bags full of stolen goods, calling it 'pathetic' that brazen crime continues to spiral in the Big Apple because of soft-on-crime policies.
The actor and comedian, who posted footage of the incident on Instagram, told DailyMail.com that he was ‘disgusted’ and ‘surprised’ when he saw the thief stocking up on items from three different sections of the pharmacy before deciding he was satisfied.
'These criminals know there are no ramifications. We have to put more of these mfers in jail,' he said.
The Rite Aid in the video, on 80th Street and 2nd Avenue, is hit with thefts of the same nature on an almost daily basis, a security guard told Rapaport. The store will be closing on February 15, and 63 other locations will close in the coming months with thefts a major reason, the pharmacy chain announced in late December.
‘You see all these videos on Instagram of people shoplifting like they’re going for a walk in the park. It’s pathetic that this is happening in the greatest city in the world,’ Rapaport said.
Rapaport said the man in his footage filled two bags with stolen goods before nonchalantly strolling past security and leaving
The Rite Aid in the video, on 80th Street and 2nd Avenue, is hit with thefts of the same nature on an almost daily basis, a security guard told Rapaport
Rapaport’s video, which has since garnered more than 276,000 views, starts with Rapaport filming the thief sauntering out of the Rite Aid, while the exasperated actor fumbles with his words before shouting, ‘I can’t believe I’m seeing this s**t!’
‘He’s walking down the street like s**t is Gucci, he looked me in the face like ''what’s good.'' I was watching him the whole time! My man just went Christmas shopping in January.’
The Heat star captions the video: ‘Duke just went CHRISTMAS SHOPPING at @riteaid I’m TRIPPING this happened in broad day like it was nothing. New @iamrapaport discusses it all. I was just informed this Rite Aid is closing 2/15 because of this, leaving the workers JOBLESS. @ericadamsfornyc YO,' tagging the drug store chain and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
He told DailyMail.com that he initially thought the thief was an employee because ‘he was just so deliberate and casual.’
Rapaport put the blame on former Mayor Bill de Blasio, who embraced soft-on-crime policies such as bail reform and police budget cuts.
The Rite Aid in the video will be closing on February 15, with thefts a major reason, the pharmacy chain announced late December
However, Rapaport said that new Mayor Adams could right the ship: ‘I think Eric Adams knows what’s going on, he knows how to deal with crime. I’m just hoping he lives up to our expectations.’
A similar theft at a Rite Aid in New York City went viral on TikTok in October after a woman named India, who was a security guard at the store, posted footage of thefts pilfering Halloween candy before fleeing
The actor said he relies on that Rite Aid, where he buys his mood stabilizers, and that he and many others in the community are now losing their neighborhood pharmacy – and its workers are losing their jobs – because of the rampant shoplifting.
‘These people are gonna be out of a job because of guys like this scumbum,’ he said, using the invented word as a combination of ‘scumbag’ and ‘bum.’
Speaking about the Rite Aid incident on Tuesday, Rapaport said it was the first time he saw such ‘blatant’ theft in person, but that the security guard in his video is all too familiar.
He told Rapaport that, just yesterday, two men walked in and took a six-pack of beer before acknowledging the security guard and leaving without paying anyway.
The security guard is seen in Rapaport’s video nonchalantly watching the thief walk out with his bags of looted goods. It is unclear what Rite Aid’s security policy is, but chains like Walmart have insurance over stolen products and discourage their security guards from trying to engage with the thieves and risking injuring themselves or others.
Empty shelves are seen at Rite Aid on the Upper East Side just three weeks before they're set to close. The store's closure is just one of many in the city. On February 8, a Hell's Kitchen store which has been rife with robberies in recent months will close, and on the Upper West Side, another store which experienced daily thefts shut down in November
Shelves are already bare in the Rite Aid store, located at the corner of 80th Street and 2nd Avenue because it will shut its doors for good on February 15, the manager told DailyMail.com, a day after a thief was caught on video boldly sauntering out with shopping bags full of stolen goods
The Rite Aid store seen in the video will be closing in just over two weeks and is just one of many in the city.
On February 8, a Hell's Kitchen store which has been rife with robberies in recent months will close, and on the Upper West Side, another store which experienced daily thefts shut down in November.
Just this week, there was news that a Rite Aid located at Clinton and Joralemon Streets in the Brooklyn Heights is also set to close next month.
The chain announced last year that it was shutting down about 63 stores across the US in the next few years, citing cost-cutting measures to save $25 million a year - but workers say that the thefts are part of the reason for the closures as inventory dwindles.
People asked in the comments why she isn't stopping the thieves if she is supposed to be a security guard, to which she replied: 'Because it's illegal to touch, grab or use any physical force to stop them.' Instead, she said, her job is to 'observe and report'
A similar theft at a Rite Aid in New York City went viral on TikTok in October after a woman named India, who was a security guard at the store, posted footage of thefts pilfering Halloween candy before fleeing.
People asked in the comments why she isn't stopping the thieves if she is supposed to be a security guard, to which she replied: 'Because it's illegal to touch, grab or use any physical force to stop them.'
Instead, she said, her job is to 'observe and report.'
When asked what he thinks needs to be done to curb the spike in shoplifting incidents, Rapaport said that there needs to be ‘more ramifications’ and penalties for shoplifting.
‘Criminals know they could get away with it. This whole thing is just a mess,’ he said.
Robbery in New York City has spiked by about 33 percent in the week ending on January 23, according to the NYPD’s most recent data, with 944 incidents compared to 709 incidents reported during the same timeframe last year.
Overall crime has gone up by nearly 39 percent, with 7,230 incidents this year as compared to last year’s 5,211.
The problem is not unique to New York. Across the country in Seattle, newly released surveillance video shows a prolific shoplifter arrested in the downtown area of the city he stole a 70-inch television from a Target store last month, which staff claim was his 22nd instance of theft in just three months.
Career criminal John Ray Lomack, 55, who is believed to be homeless and has a rap sheet dating back to the '80s, was caught on camera eyeing the TV in the store, loading it into a shopping cart and walking out of the store without attempting to pay.
He is said to have nabbed $6,000 worth of property from this one Target location since October.
At least three security guards can be seen trying to stop Lomack from pushing the TV outside, at one point preventing him from going through a revolving door - but they refrain from getting physical with him and he proceeds to walk out a different door.
He then drags the TV down the street, where he is met by police who advise him to 'unhand the property.' Lomack declines, alleging he purchased the item - valued at nearly $750 and on sale for $600 - but was unable to provide a receipt.
Career criminal John Ray Lomack, who is believed to be homeless, was caught on camera stealing a 70-inch television from a Target store last month, which staff claim was his 22nd instance of theft in three months
Police say Lomack loaded the television into a shopping cart and walked out of the retailer without attempting to pay
Police attempt to arrest him, but he resists and a 'physical struggle' ensues. He was eventually taken into custody and later charged with burglary.
Judge Kuljinder Dhillon, who is notoriously lenient on homeless offenders, had released Lomack without bond in December on the burglary charge, despite the fact that a King County prosecutor argued for a $5,000 bail due to his 'warrant activity' on his 32 prior cases. He has also been convicted of at least 18 felony and misdemeanor charges since 1985.
On Wednesday, Lomack was back in court in front of a different judge, Melinda Young, who released him without bail again. The accused criminal was reportedly 'medically unavailable' after being exposed to COVID-19 and will 'continue to quarantine until his quarantine period is done.'
Young, like Dhillon, also has a history of 'going easy' on homeless offenders, which some argue are responsible for the city's criminal activity.
'Homeless people have completely taken over downtown Seattle,' 770 KTTH Radio host Jason Rantz said.
Lomack's string of burglaries comes as other cities across the nation - including San Francisco and Chicago - are experiencing large numbers of brazen thefts.
Citizens are calling for reform as many city leaders and 'woke' prosecutors continue to take lenient stances on crime.
Security guards have their hands tied, as they are told to 'observe and report' and not get physical with criminals. Staff at the Seattle Target that Lomack regularly looted claims shoplifters strike at least once every 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, retail employees and shoppers in cities nationwide believe that with lax policies, woke district attorneys who hesitate to punish offenders and soft-on-crime approaches, nothing is being done to stop the often broad-daylight attacks.
Police attempt to arrest him, however, he resists and a 'physical struggle' ensues. He is eventually taken into custody and later charged with burglary
Lomack struggled as he attempted to get the TV out of the store
He then drags the TV down the street, where he is met by police who advise him to 'unhand the property'. Lomack declines, alleging he purchased the item - valued at nearly $750 - but was unable to provide a receipt
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