Sheriff: Woman stalked Aldi shopper, stole her wallet, went on shopping spree
COOPER CITY, Fla. (FOX 13) - The Broward County Sheriff's Office is looking for a woman believed to have stalked a shopper in an Aldi grocery store and stolen her wallet.
Surveillance video recorded June 27 in an Aldi in Cooper City shows the alleged theft, just after 4:15 p.m.
The video shows a busy grocery store, with one woman shopping along a produce aisle.
Behind her, another woman shopping along the parallel frozen food section seems to watch and follow the other shopper.
"The thief bides her time waiting for the perfect moment to strike," the Broward County Sheriff's Office wrote in a Facebook post about the incident. "She pretends to shop, placing random items into her shopping cart. She moves closer to the victim’s shopping cart while the victim shops and quickly backs off when the victim turns her attention back to her purse."
That's when the alleged thief moves close enough to reach into the woman's purse and grab her wallet, according to the sheriff's office.
The woman leaves her cart and then the store, investigators said.
The Broward County Sheriff's Office described the alleged thief as a heavy-set female, possibly in her mid-30s, wearing a white visor-style hat, a black and white tie-dyed t-shirt, Capri-length jeans, and black shoes.
The sheriff's office says the suspect charged $462 on the victim’s credit card at a Macy’s in Pembroke Pines and $256 at Target the same day.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Christopher Neves at 954-432-9000. Reports can also be made anonymously to Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477) or online at browardcrimestoppers.org. Anonymous tips that lead to an arrest are eligible for a reward of up to $3,000.