Video footage of shoplifters in Oregon blatantly stealing thousands of dollars worth of items in Lowe’s hardware store angered local residents. This comes as shoplifting incidents have been on the rise in recent months.
The incident happened in broad daylight and employees cannot do anything to stop them
Andrew Sullivan, who filmed the incident, stated the theft was so blatant that it angered him. He noted that the group was just walking through the parking lot, riding carts with thousands of dollars worth of stolen goods.
The incident, which can be seen happening in broad daylight, shows two men pushing carts loaded with thousands in electric wires out of Lowe’s with two employees unable to stop them.
An employee can be seen in the video standing by the door, asking the men to present their receipt as they approach. However, they just kept going. Another employee can be seen approaching the men telling them not to do the act as it was not worth it.
2 people walk out of an Oregon Lowe’s with carts of stolen merchandise.
Employees look on and are unable to do anything. pic.twitter.com/bHBy1M8HVK— Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) September 5, 2021
Sullivan thinks those men have done the act before because they seemed to hold a good system. One person was waiting in the car and two other men were pushing the cart. They were also aware that no one would touch them.
In the video, the men were also seen loading the stolen goods in a red Subaru.
Oregon Police Lieutenant noted criminals know they cannot go to jail for shoplifting and employees cannot stop them
On the other hand, many people who posted comments on the video expressed anger and wondered if the local police would even conduct an investigation into the situation.
Lowe’s hardware store eventually filed an incident report. However, Police Lieutenant Andrew Copeland noted that in Oregon, most jails do not take in shoplifters. This is the policy designed to cut back on the number of people inside jails during the pandemic.
Copeland noted that the men would more likely only face fines and then be released from jail.
A video of shoplifters stealing thousands of $$ of electrical equipment at an Oregon Lowe’s has gone viral. According to a local police lieutenant, if caught, the criminals will be fined & released. Welcome to Liberalism 2021. #LiberalismIsTheRealPandemic https://t.co/rHJrEtL33w
— David Burke 🇺🇸 (@ConservativeTht) September 7, 2021
The police lieutenant added that many chain stores are not allowed to stop shoplifters; therefore, once they have stolen, they know the employees cannot stop them and there are no real consequences for their actions.
In recent months, shoplifting incidents have been on the rise; this is happening most prominently in the state of California. In one incident over the summer, there were two men in suburban Los Angeles brazenly leaving TJ Maxx with heaps of stolen goods in their arms.
Sgt. Jerretta Sandoz of the Los Angeles Police Department stated that the men did not even have to run out of the store; they just walked out. So, these acts are sending a message to other criminals that they are winning.
