Beaufort shoplifting suspect has a not so nice trip

Some law enforcement teamwork and a clumsy thief made for a brief chase and catch at the Robert Smalls Parkway Walmart on Monday night.

A Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputy and a Beaufort Police Department officer responded to Walmart to catch an alleged shoplifter just after 6:30 p.m. , according to a sheriff’s office report.

Employees pointed out a man in the men’s department, wearing dark clothes and a white hat who was allegedly shoving some piece of merchandise into his sleeve as the deputy watched, according to the report.

The officer and the deputy followed the man deeper into the store from different angles as he tried to evade them, according to the report. They caught up with him and escorted him to the front of the store when he ran off through the garden center exit and headed toward a wooded area.

The suspect tripped in the woods just before the cops caught up to him, according to the report. He was found with several winter hats and a speaker inside his clothes.

The man was charged with shoplifting nearly $650 worth of stolen goods and fleeing to evade detention, according to a police department report.

This story was originally published December 21, 2016 at 3:30 PM with the headline "Beaufort shoplifting suspect has a not so nice trip."