Police Seek SportChek Shoplifting Suspects in Burlington

A pair of suspects are being sought by Halton police in connection with the theft of nearly $800 in clothing from a Burlington sporting goods store.

A pair of suspects are being sought by Halton police in connection with the theft of nearly $800 in clothing from a Burlington sporting goods store.

“The alarm didn’t go off,” so a lined shopping bag was used, said Const. Naresh Dabas from the district response unit which is focusing on retail crime as Halton police are cracking down on shoplifting across the region.

That alone, Dabas says, indicates “it’s not a one-off. It points to organized retail crime.”

The incident took place on Oct. 5 at SportChek at Burlington Mall (777 Guelph Line) around 6:20 p.m.

The unknown suspects entered the store, heading into the men’s Adidas department.

“They were carrying a large, white-coloured bag Globo bag with them,” said Dabas.

The suspects scopped up two types of merchandise: five Adidas ClimaChill polo tops and six Adidas quarter-zip Club tops.

The items are valued at $759.89.

“They went right to these items, picked them up … and they concealed them into the Globo bag,” Dabas said.

(Police refer to these as ‘booster bags’ — they’re specially lined so suspects can walk through the sensors without setting off alarms).

“One guy then took possession of the bag and exited the store without making any attempt to pay for the items.”

The second man stayed, browsing and using his phone, then left a few minutes later, investigators allege.

Suspect No. 1 is “the guy who concealed the items,” said Dabas.

He’s described as possibly Middle Eastern, 35, standing six-feet, weighing 190 to 200 pounds. The man was wearing a black short-sleeved polo shirt, khakis, black shoes, and a red and blue Montreal Canadiens cap

The second suspect is the one “that walked out with the bag,” said Dabas.

He’s also described as possibly Middle Eastern, 45-to-50-years-old, standing six-feet, weighing 185 to 190 pounds.

He was wearing a long-sleeved olive button-down shirt, dark blue jeans, black shoes, and a dark baseball cap with white marking at the front.

Anyone with information is asked to phone 905-825-4747 ext. 2351 or CrimeStoppers 1-800-222-8477.

Image courtesy of Halton Regional Police