BEDFORD — A late-night theft at a local convenience store led to a multi-officer foot pursuit and TASER deployment after a suspect allegedly stole over $1,200 worth of merchandise from a Circle K on L Street.
According to an incident report from the Bedford Police Department, officers were dispatched to the Circle K located at 1325 L Street at approximately 1:06 a.m. on October 6, 2026. A store employee reported that a male wearing a blue ball cap had stolen an entire display shelf filled with vapes, rolling papers, and birth control products before fleeing the scene on foot.
Surveillance video provided by the store showed the juvenile suspect—dressed in a blue ball cap, gray jacket, and black pants—pacing outside and looking through the windows before entering. The suspect then walked directly to the counter, grabbed a plastic display holding the merchandise, and ran north along the building.
At approximately 1:31 a.m., Officer S. Ratcliff and Major Emmons spotted the suspect walking east near the intersection of 15th and L Streets. When Officer Ratcliff approached in a marked patrol vehicle with emergency lights activated, the suspect fled on foot through the Steele’s Barbershop parking lot.
Despite verbal commands to stop, the suspect continued running south toward 15th Street. During the chase, officers observed multiple vape devices falling out of his pockets onto the ground. The pursuit continued onto the property of the former Elks Lodge, where the suspect tripped on a set of steps leading to a parking lot before regaining his footing and continuing south.
After temporarily losing sight of the suspect, officers established a perimeter around the Elks Lodge lot. Sergeant Crulo located him shortly after inside a fenced area behind the Towne Square Shoppes plaza.
When the suspect ignored additional commands and ran across 16th Street, Sergeant Crulo deployed his department-issued TASER, bringing the foot chase to an end on the sidewalk.
The male juvenile suspect was taken into custody with assistance from Officer Haluda. Detecting the odor of alcohol, officers administered a preliminary breath test, which registered a positive blood alcohol concentration of 0.038.
Officer Haluda transported the suspect to IU Health Bedford Hospital for medical clearance. While at the hospital, the suspect’s mother arrived on scene.
Following consultation with on-call Probation Officer Jeremy Tumey, the suspect was issued a Promise to Appear in court for October 21, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. He was released into his mother’s custody after she signed the required documentation.
Stolen Property Recovered
Officers retraced the juvenile’s escape path to gather discarded merchandise. While returning items to the store, a nearby male resident reported finding the missing store display shelf containing additional vapes between his home and garage on 14th Street.
Police collected the remaining display and returned all merchandise to Circle K. Store staff calculated the total value of the stolen items, including vapes, rolling papers, and birth control, at $1,294.55.
The suspect faces potential preliminary charges of theft over $750, resisting law enforcement by fleeing, and illegal consumption.
