On today’s episode of Find Out Fridays, Fernando Rivera, 46, of the Bronx, risked it all… for a $12 piece of jewelry.
On Wednesday afternoon, one of our officers was already at TJ Maxx in Cross County on an unrelated call when Loss Prevention pointed out Rivera, a repeat shoplifter they immediately recognized.
Rivera concealed a piece of jewelry, walked out of the store, ignored commands to stop, and took off running through the parking garage toward Central Park Avenue.
When the officer caught up to him, Rivera made a decision that turned a shoplifting investigation into something much more serious. He pulled out a can of pepper spray, sprayed the officer, and kept running.
That’s not something we see every day, and it’s certainly not something we’re going to tolerate.
Despite being pepper sprayed, the officer fought through it, deployed her Taser, and ended Rivera’s escape attempt.
Recovered during the arrest were the stolen piece of jewelry, the pepper spray used in the assault, and drug paraphernalia.
Rivera now faces charges including Robbery, Assault, Resisting Arrest, Criminal Possession of a Weapon, Petit Larceny, and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance.
Some places may decide a $12 theft isn’t worth the effort.
We don’t. That’s exactly why we enforce it.
Ignoring “small” crimes sends the message they’re acceptable. Holding offenders accountable sends a different message – and it’s one that’s working. Shoplifting incidents in Yonkers are down 42% compared to this time last year.
The officer was treated for minor injuries and is back on duty.
As for Rivera… a $12 piece of jewelry and a can of cheap pepper spray turned into a slew of serious criminal charges and an unforgettable introduction to a TASER 7, courtesy of Axon.
Fernando found out that’s a pretty poor return on investment.