Community tips lead Cape Coral police to 2 suspects accused of stealing from Target
CAPE CORAL, Fla. —
Tips from the Southwest Florida community helped Cape Coral police locate and arrest two people accused of retail theft at a local Target store.
According to the Cape Coral Police Department, on June 5, officers responded to a delayed report of a theft at the Target located at 2430 Santa Barbara Boulevard South.
The investigation revealed that on June 1, two people entered the store and selected a Samsung projector with a value of $799.99. The pair used self-checkout and scanned a barcode for a significantly lower-priced item instead of the projector, CCPD said.
The CCPD Property Crimes Unit launched an investigation and collected surveillance footage, evidence, and community tips. After CCPD shared images of the suspects on Facebook, several members of the public sent in tips, which led detectives to identify the suspects.
Social media post of the suspects shared by CCPD
On June 24, officers attempted to make contact with the suspects at a home. Both suspects ran from the home and were seen later changing their clothes at a nearby gym in an attempt to avoid detection, CCPD said.
On June 25, both suspects, identified as Elle Bradford and Jeremiah Patrick Garcia, were taken into custody, CCPD said.
Both face charges of grand theft and resisting an officer without violence.
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