Nearly two months after a strange June incident at an East Broad Street business, Columbus police are asking the public to help identify a man who allegedly loaded up a shopping cart, then turned the unpaid merchandise back in for a gift card. The unusual sequence has detectives trying to put a name to a suspect who was seen inside the store.
According to a report by WSYX, the incident happened June 6 at a business in the 6000 block of East Broad Street. The suspect is described as a male believed to be between 45 and 50 years old; police say he took an empty cart, filled it with merchandise and later returned the unpaid items to the store.
After the return, the store gave him a gift card, according to the report. Columbus police detectives are asking anyone who recognizes the man or knows anything about the incident to call 614-645-4035.
Residents with information about other non-emergency thefts can also use the City of Columbus public-safety portal to submit a report or reach Central Ohio Crime Stoppers. For this case, detectives specifically listed the direct number above, and the report did not announce an arrest or identify the suspect by name.
