October 3,1986: Zayre's Department Store, Baden, PA - "Attempted theft of three TV's by a professional shoplifter"

The subject pushed an empty shopping cart into the Electronics Department and proceeded to remove three 5 inch screen display TV's from the shelf and place them into the cart. He then proceeded to the front of the store, pushed the cart through an empty checkout line, and left the store. I came out the other set of doors and as I approached the subject, he left the cart with the TV's on the sidewalk and started running down into the parking lot. I pursued the subject and as he ran I could see the vehicle he was heading for. As he slowed down to go around the vehicle to the driver's side door, I ran up and over the car coming down in front of the subject. However, he was still able to slip past me and get into his car. As I wrestled with him through the open window, he was able to slip the car into neutral. The vehicle then began to coast down through the parking lot with me hanging onto him and the window as I tried to turn off the ignition. I looked up and saw that we were heading straight for a telephone pole when I chose to let go. Just before hitting the pole, he got the vehicle under control, started it up and sped out of the parking lot. I attempted to get the license plate number, but both ends of the plate were bent in to conceal the plate number, so the subject got away. The three TV's, valued at approximately $498 were recovered.