A Trenton man was charged with shoplifting and drug offenses after he allegedly loaded up a shopping cart with electronic items valued at more than $1,800 at Best Buy on Nassau Park Boulevard, according to the West Windsor Police Department.
A police officer who was on patrol was flagged down by a Best Buy employee, who pointed to a man who he said had allegedly shoplifted items from the store on Dec. 11, police said.
The officer pulled up next to the suspect, who then allegedly pushed the shopping cart away and fled through the parking lot. He got into a car, which began driving away, police said. The officer stopped the car, which was being driven by another Trenton man.
The investigation revealed that the man had allegedly used a screwdriver to remove inventory control devices from laptop computers, tablets and other items, put them in the shopping cart and pushed the cart out of the emergency exit door, police said.
The man was also allegedly found to have crack cocaine and a clear glass pipe with drug residue in it, police said.
The man was charged with shoplifting, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of burglary tools. He was processed and released.
