Glendale police say a 49-year-old man turned a neighborhood Walmart into his own cut-rate shopping operation, walking off with more than $1,000 in merchandise over roughly three months before an off-duty officer finally stepped in.
Officers arrested Harold Carlson on March 25 after an off-duty Glendale police officer, who was inside the store near 55th Avenue and Northern Avenue, detained him during an alleged theft, according to authorities.
Alleged barcode swap at self checkout
Investigators identified Carlson as the suspect and say he repeatedly used cheap noodle cup barcodes to trick the self checkout system into ringing up expensive items for pocket change. According to FOX 10 Phoenix, police allege he slapped a noodle cup barcode on a G.I. Joe action figure so the toy scanned for $0.64 instead of nearly $43. Officers say they later found two noodle cup barcodes with double-sided tape in his pocket.
Scene on Northern Avenue
The run-ins all centered on the Walmart store near 55th Avenue and Northern Avenue. The retailer lists the location as 5605 W Northern Ave in Glendale on its site, placing it in the city’s northern shopping corridor, according to Walmart.
Charges and next steps
Police say the alleged barcode scheme stretched across a roughly three-month period and involved more than 70 suspected thefts totaling over $1,000 in goods. Carlson was arrested on March 25 and now faces dozens of retail theft-related charges, according to FOX 10 Phoenix. Booking information and court dates were not immediately available, and the Glendale Police Department and local prosecutors are expected to handle any formal filings as the case moves forward.
