Hey everyone..
Anybody out there, esp. in NEVADA got any insight for me on this...
Suspect enters local groc. market on my shift... Picks up basket, and selects some aspirin off pharmacy shelf... then appears to be resuming his shopping.. after selecting other items.. he proceeds to checkout counter where the clerk informs him that he could not pay for non-food items with a foodstamp card.. (duh) He then asks clerk to hold items while he goes out to car to get cash. For whatever reason he then exits checkout line and heads to the restroom, (still holding the aspirin in his hand?!) He never made a attempt to exit store however. In any case, I entered restroom behind him and found that he was locked in one of the stalls... I loudly announced "Store security, open the stall! " He then replied that he was 'utilizing the facilities" Worried that he may have been flushing evidence or otherwise disposing of evidence I then kicked in the stall door. Upon entering the stall I found the suspect as he had said, in the process of relieving himself... The bottle of aspirin were on the toilet paper dispenser beside him... Not concealed or deposited in or on his person as I had initially suspected... I then made a arrest of the subject and notified the local PD... The suspect claimed he was in such a hurry to get to the restroom that he just didn't pay attention to the fact that he still had the aspirin in his hand... (whatever) Furthermore he claimed that he had no intention of stealing anything, and also claimed that he had just phoned his friend, who was supposedly either somewhere else in the store, or in the parking lot waiting for him, that he needed him "the friend" to bring him cash for the purchase of the aspirin. In any case I am concerned now in hindsight about possible repercussions for kicking in the stall door.. (violation of privacy?) Perhaps I was too rash? Regardless at my insistence, the responding officer did issue the suspect a citation to appear in court. So my question is... 1) Were my actions too severe? My boss thinks they may have been as obviously the suspect wasn't going anywhere, and had to exit the stall sooner or later. Also there is some concern over the fact that the suspect did not make any attempt to actually exit the store....
Any opinions, advice, etc... would be most appreciated....
again, this occurred in the state of NEVADA.
Thanks,
Dreamshadow
Anybody out there, esp. in NEVADA got any insight for me on this...
Suspect enters local groc. market on my shift... Picks up basket, and selects some aspirin off pharmacy shelf... then appears to be resuming his shopping.. after selecting other items.. he proceeds to checkout counter where the clerk informs him that he could not pay for non-food items with a foodstamp card.. (duh) He then asks clerk to hold items while he goes out to car to get cash. For whatever reason he then exits checkout line and heads to the restroom, (still holding the aspirin in his hand?!) He never made a attempt to exit store however. In any case, I entered restroom behind him and found that he was locked in one of the stalls... I loudly announced "Store security, open the stall! " He then replied that he was 'utilizing the facilities" Worried that he may have been flushing evidence or otherwise disposing of evidence I then kicked in the stall door. Upon entering the stall I found the suspect as he had said, in the process of relieving himself... The bottle of aspirin were on the toilet paper dispenser beside him... Not concealed or deposited in or on his person as I had initially suspected... I then made a arrest of the subject and notified the local PD... The suspect claimed he was in such a hurry to get to the restroom that he just didn't pay attention to the fact that he still had the aspirin in his hand... (whatever) Furthermore he claimed that he had no intention of stealing anything, and also claimed that he had just phoned his friend, who was supposedly either somewhere else in the store, or in the parking lot waiting for him, that he needed him "the friend" to bring him cash for the purchase of the aspirin. In any case I am concerned now in hindsight about possible repercussions for kicking in the stall door.. (violation of privacy?) Perhaps I was too rash? Regardless at my insistence, the responding officer did issue the suspect a citation to appear in court. So my question is... 1) Were my actions too severe? My boss thinks they may have been as obviously the suspect wasn't going anywhere, and had to exit the stall sooner or later. Also there is some concern over the fact that the suspect did not make any attempt to actually exit the store....
Any opinions, advice, etc... would be most appreciated....
again, this occurred in the state of NEVADA.
Thanks,
Dreamshadow
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