Atlanta Police Catch Target Shoplifter With Huge TV Coming Out Of Store

A Target shoplifter who managed to steal a TV, then returned it and stole a more expensive one, protested that he didn’t want to “go to jail” when Atlanta police chased him outside the store.

At around 5:30 pm on August 7, police received a call that a brazen shoplifter was attempting to steal a television from Target in northeast Atlanta.

A Target security officer called the arriving officers and informed them that the male suspect was still inside the store.

“The security guard told a suspect that he had stolen a television from the store and returned moments later to take another,” police said.

As officers began searching for the suspect, they encountered the man exiting the store with the TV on top of the shopping cart.

The suspect, wearing a white shirt and brown pants, put his hands up in the air before storming back into the store.

Police said the suspect “fought with the officer for several minutes” until reinforcements arrived and took him into custody.

“I didn’t mean it like that!” the suspect yelled. “I don’t want to go to jail. I don’t want to go to jail.”

As the video plays, bystanders look on while both the suspect and the officer lie on the ground outside the mall.

“Please stop, I need to go to the hospital!” The suspect screamed more than once.

Neither the officer nor the suspect suffered serious injuries as both had minor scratches from the altercation, police said.

The incident came just days after several California 7-Eleven employees brutally beat up a suspect who was trying to steal tobacco products from behind the counter.

The shop workers beat Tyrone Frazier relentlessly – a clerk hit him with what appeared to be a broomstick.

Frazier – who is linked to a series of crimes in the area that have included previous robberies at the same 7-Eleven store – was arrested over the incident.