FORT MEYERS, Fla. -- Two Marines recently returned from boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., literally helped bring a shoplifter to justice Thursday Dec. 15, at Edison Mall.
The Marines, Pfc. Shane Ailant and Pvt. Ryan Pitts had been recently secured from their recruiter assistant’s duties by the staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge and decided to go to the Mall to do some Area Canvassing and to shop around.
Shortly after arriving, they witnessed a man burst through the door and shortly their after noticed mall security and Lee County Sheriffs Deputies in pursuit.
“We saw the officers chasing him so we took off after the guy because it was the right thing to do,” said Pitts. “The officer was also far behind.”
The Marines chased the suspect, later to be identified as William Beltran, for nearly a mile in dress blue deltas, dodging traffic and yelling "Stop! U.S. Marines!" The suspect realized he had met his match and stopped. “Ailant stood behind him and I stood in front of him. He wasn’t going anywhere,” said Pitts.
The suspect was a known shoplifter and had a warrant for the same offense in Orlando.
The Marines were presented Certificates of Appreciation from the Lee County Sheriff's Department, December 19, for their efforts in aiding the apprehension of the known shoplifter.
Police say Beltran and his accomplice Shairalee Delgado stuffed their bags with $900 worth of clothes from Express. But these weren’t just any bags – they were lined with a special material, the bags prevent store theft alarms from going off.
“Looking from the outside, you wouldn’t really know. But when you look inside the purse, the lining is ripped. And if you open the lining, it reveals the material they use to deter the sensors,” said Detective Victor Medico, to a reporter with NBC-2.
It looks like the Marines are not only fighting the War on Terrorism, but the War on shoplifting as well, at least in Fort Myers anyhow.
The Fort Myers community can rest assure knowing the age old adage, “The Marines have landed and the situation is well in hand.”