A homeless man with a rap sheet a mile long was busted yet again, this time for swiping electronics from a Target in El Cajon, cops said. The light-fingered larcenist, identified as Alberto Romero, wasn't content with flying under the radar; he brazenly hauled his stolen goods out of the store in a wagon on January 18th.
The El Cajon Police Department responded to the Target located at 250 Broadway after a juvenile was nabbed for shoplifting and released to his guardians, according to official reports, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Store security was hot on the trail of another thief, namely Romero, who ambitiously loaded up a wagon with electronics inside the store and when he made his getaway, he pushed past employees and scuffled with the cops who were waiting for him outside, during the tussle he even head-butted one officer, causing minor injuries.
In a classic case of "caught red-handed," Romero's crude escape tactics were brought to a halt, and a subsequent search turned up more than just unlawfully acquired tech—cops found a pointed metal rod and drug paraphernalia tucked away in his waistband. Not one to fly under the legal radar, Romero's background check revealed three outstanding warrants for theft and possessing illegal weapons, it turns out the guy's criminal background is littered with theft and drug convictions.
Romero was slapped with a ride to the San Diego County Jail where he was booked for the warrants and added a few more felonies to his collection, as per the El Cajon Police Department's report. His latest escapade paints a picture of a man who, despite being down on his luck and without a roof over his head, still makes time for crime, his life seemingly caught in the ceaseless gears of the criminal justice system.
