Wareham Police urge public for help in identifying shoplifting suspects that injured 76-year-old man

Sep 17, 2018

Wareham Police renewed their call for help in identifying three suspects accused of a shoplifting incident at Walmart that hospitalized a 76-year-old employee. 

Police first sought the public’s assistance in locating the suspects on Sept. 14, one day after officers responded to Walmart where the employee was injured attempting to stop a shoplifting in progress. Since then, Acting Police Chief John Walcek said authorities have not received any tips, despite clear photographs of the suspects being released to the public.    

“Identifying and arresting these subjects is a top priority,” said Walcek. “In addition to stealing from a business in Wareham, they injured, and very easily could have killed someone with their desperate and reckless actions to flee the area.”

Anyone with information regarding the incident or the suspects involved should call 508-295-1212 or Text-A-Tip to the Wareham Police Department at 274637. Type “warehampd” in the text field along with your message.

Police responded to Walmart at approximately 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 13, for what was initially reported as a hit-and-run. Instead, police learned the car involved, a blue Honda that left the area traveling east on Cranberry Highway, was used by three suspects to escape after an attempted shoplifting. Video surveillance shows three men wearing black shirts with shopping carts in the gun safety and cleaning section of the store. 

When officers arrived, the employee was on the ground injured after trying to stop the suspects from placing items from a shopping cart inside of the car parked outside. The car then pulled away, dragging the employee several feet before knocking him to the ground. When the employee got up, he was again knocked to the ground by another suspect who rammed him with the shopping cart. Police reported that the employee was later taken to Tobey Hospital where he was treated and released for his injuries.

The car involved in the incident did not have any license plates, but police said that the employee managed to rip a windshield wiper from the car which was collected as evidence. The Detective Division of the Wareham Police Department is now actively investigating incident.