WATCH: Security guard filmed cops struggling with suspect as police officers pleaded for help
An arrest at a Texas gas station was caught on camera, but as things turned aggressive between authorities and the suspect, a security guard at the scene appeared to ignore the situation. On Tuesday night, two Houston cops were in a serious struggle with a suspect at a gas station who appeared to be resisting arrest. Several bystanders pulled out their cellphones to record the encounter, including a security guard. “Stop f***ing taping and help me,” a cop was recorded telling the guard. But she continued filming.
Joe Gamaldi, president of the Houston Police Officer’s Union, spoke to Inside Edition about the incident. “She was completely oblivious to everything that was going on there,” he said. “As a security guard you go through training, you wear a uniform, you wear a badge, she should absolutely be ashamed that she didn’t even call 911. At the very least, she could have called for her officers and get them some help out there and she did nothing.” The security company she works for fired her after seeing the video. The 17-year-old suspect in Houston was finally cuffed and arrested for attempting to disarm a police officer. [Source: Inside Edition]
AutoX launches self-driving grocery delivery service
Silicon Valley startup AutoX has launched its self-driving grocery delivery service in San Jose, California, according to a company release. The service will allow consumers to pre-order groceries from its app or hail the car to the consumer’s location and choose groceries directly from the vehicle. The company plans on expanding to other cities around the Silicon Valley area and hopes to eventually partner with other grocers. The products currently come from online grocer GrubMarket. The vehicle will include a temperature-controlled environment to keep produce fresh and store yogurt, juices and other snacks for consumers to purchase in-person, giving consumers a similar experience to picking last-minute items from the checkout lane. [Source: SupplyChainDIVE]
Suspect steals 35 iPhones, crashes stolen car after chase
A man in Iowa that police say stole 35 iPhones from a store before leading a vehicle chase, about two hours after being involved in a separate robbery, has been charged with first-degree robbery. Keith Edward Lomax, 31, of Des Moines was released from jail late Sunday and ordered to appear in court next week. According to police reports, a Sprint store employee told a Des Moines police officer that a man entered the Sprint store at about 5 p.m. Saturday, approached her and held what appeared to be a black handgun to the back of her head. Sgt. Paul Parizek, a spokesman for the Des Moines Police Department, said the weapon was later found to be a BB gun.
Lomax then pointed the gun at everyone in the store and told them to put their hands up and to move to the back door of the store, according to police reports. Lomax told the employee to hold open a back door of the store, where a safe was located. After she did so, Lomax told the store manager to gather the items in the safe for him, police allege. Inspection of video surveillance and police reports concluded that 35 iPhones, worth $28,949.65 — and about $400 in cash were missing after Lomax fled. No one was injured.
A store manager told police that Lomax got in a car and drove away just as officers were arriving. Officers followed, but Lomax did not stop, authorities allege. Lomax, who has also been charged with eluding, eventually crashed his car and ran from officers, but he was taken into custody at Union Park, a little over two miles from the Sprint store.Parizek said the car Lomax was driving was stolen. The property taken in the robbery and the BB gun were recovered in the vehicle. Lomax is also accused of first-degree robbery after an encounter about two hours before iPhone theft, according to court documents. Lomax reportedly approached a 41-year-old man with a handgun at his side and demanded the keys to his car. The victim handed them over and Lomax drove away, police said. It was not clear whether the stolen vehicle in the chase was the same car stolen that afternoon. [Source: Des Moines Register]
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Five indicted for thefts at big box stores
A Delaware County Grand Jury has returned a 13 count indictment against five people who committed several thefts targeting Home Depot stores in Ohio. The group includes Lindsey Clifford, 27, Antonio Estrada, 26, Donald Gorey, 47, Shelley Hagerman, 38, all of Columbus, and Leanna Luna-Jimenez, 25, of Hilliard. “Surveillance video shows members of the group arriving at a Home Depot store together, but going inside separately,” said Delaware County Prosecutor Carol O’ Brien. “A cart would be filled with tools and taken past all points of sale.”
According to the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office, the Home Depot stores targeted by the group include the Powell, Columbus and Dublin locations. “Not all members of the group participated in each instance of theft, but together the total in stolen merchandise is estimated to be at least $50,000,” O’ Brien said. “It is likely that amount will increase, as each instance saw an estimated $1,500 to $5,000 in losses for the retailer.” The group allegedly committed more than twenty incidents of theft against Home Depot during the period of indictment.
All members of the group are charged with one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and additional prohibited activities. In addition, Clifford is charged with seven counts of theft and robbery. Estrada is charged with four counts of theft. Gorey is charged with 10 counts of theft. Hagerman is charged with two counts of theft. Jimenez is charged with six counts of theft and one count of robbery. Arraignment dates for the group are not yet set, according to the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office. [Source: NBC4i News]
Police use DNA from mask to make arrest in c-store armed robbery
Police in Pennsylvania used DNA from a mask left near the scene of an armed Turkey Hill robbery last year to track down the alleged robber. Shane A. Trimble, 30, of Lancaster, was taken into custody Friday on charges of robbery and theft by unlawful taking regarding the June 14, 2017 robbery in Pequea Township, police said. Trimble displayed a handgun in the 2101 New Danville Pike store and fled with less than $100 cash, according to police.
Using surveillance footage, police tracked down the sunglasses and black mask worn by the robber along a road about half a mile from the store. The items were sent for DNA testing at a Pennsylvania State Police lab. Testing showed the DNA matched Trimble on Aug. 20, police said. Southern Regional police Sgt. Robert Burger filed charges. Trimble was arraigned Friday with District Judge William E. Benner Jr. who set bail at $350,000. He is in Lancaster County Prison unable to post bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled with Benner on Sept. 7. [Source: Lancaster Online]
Amazon opens its second Amazon Go convenience store
Amazon this morning announced the opening of its second Amazon Go convenience store, which is again located in the retailer’s hometown of Seattle. The new store is 1,450 square feet in size, a bit smaller than the first store’s 1800 square feet, and will be located at 5th and Marion in Seattle. It will feature a range of ready-to-eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack options, as well as Amazon’s Meal Kits.
The food options will be made by Amazon chefs and various local kitchens and bakeries, the retailer notes. For example, it will stock quick snacks like chips, bars, candy and locally made chocolates, along with lunch options like salads, sandwiches, and wraps. For dinner, the Amazon Meal Kits offer all the ingredients for a home-cooked meal for two that takes about 30 minutes to prepare. This is a smaller selection than available at the flagship Amazon Go store, which also stocked beer and wine and various grocery items, including Whole Foods’ 365 Everyday Value brand products.
Also because of the store’s smaller size, there’s not a kitchen on the premises. Instead, the fresh food will come from an Amazon kitchen elsewhere in Seattle, according to a report from The Seattle Times, which toured the space ahead of its opening. The store will be open only on weekdays, from 7 AM to 7 PM, Amazon says, as it’s meant to cater more to the office worker crowd. Earlier reports had said Amazon was planning to open as many as six Amazon Go locations throughout 2018. But the company has not publicly discussed its roadmap.
In May, however, Amazon job postings pointed to store plans for Chicago and San Francisco. Amazon would only confirm plans were in the works, not when it would launch in those markets. It’s been expected that the first handful of Go stores would arrive in Seattle and L.A. This second location works the same as the first, from a technology perspective. The Go store’s system includes a number of cameras mounted overhead that track shoppers’ movements from every angle, weight sensors on the shelves, and the Amazon Go mobile app, which is swiped on the way in to automatically charge shoppers for whatever they take. [Source: TechCrunch]
