An armed man led Upland Police Officers on a chase after committing thefts at three different stores within the Colonies Crossroads shopping mall on Saturday afternoon. The string of thefts, which included a substantial quantity of alcohol, sporting goods, and other retail items, began around 3 p.m. and ended with the suspect's apprehension following a brief pursuit, as detailed by KTLA.
On Saturday, we responded to three separate thefts that had just occurred in the Colonies shopping center. The first was at a grocery store, where a large amount of alcohol was stolen. The second incident took place at a sporting goods store. The final theft occurred at a retail… pic.twitter.com/3CAlxhzebY
— Upland Police Department (@UplandPD) October 29, 2024
The suspect escalated the final theft to a felony robbery when he threatened to pull a knife on loss prevention officers after they confronted him attempting to improperly retain the stolen items. This chain of events propelled the episode to a level of heightened criminality.
Officers who saturated the area quickly located the man as he attempted to leave the mall in his vehicle. “Instead of going with the program and returning the stolen items, the suspect threatened to pull a knife and elevated himself right into a felony robbery,” the Upland Police Department stated in a post on social media. His decisions continued to deteriorate when he opted to flee from the police after they tried to intervene, further exacerbating the situation.
The chase was short-lived. The man opted to eventually stop his car and was taken into custody without further incident. According to the Upland Police Department, the man now faces charges including robbery and evading, and his vehicle, which was identified as a Tesla, was towed.
