Collegedale, Tennessee, police chased a vehicle with three occupants suspected of shoplifting a $59 pair of hair clippers after watching them walk out of the store, get into their vehicle and exit the parking lot.
At least one of the suspects was ultimately found to have drugs and an illegally possessed firearm.
On Feb. 21, Collegedale police were called to the Walmart on Little Debbie Parkway at around 1:19 a.m. An assistant store manager told them that two men and a woman were acting suspiciously, watching employees and with a large purse that appeared to be empty, according to an incident report.
Four officers waited in the parking lot for the group to leave the store, the report states. The assistant manager called the officers to let them know through which door the group would be exiting.
But instead of detaining the group for questioning, the officers watched them walk across the parking lot, get into a white 2016 Dodge Dart and pull out in front of their patrol vehicles, the report states. Officers then ran the license plate through dispatch. The report doesn’t clarify whether the vehicle was registered to one of the suspects.