Police Beat: January 8

You shouldn’t mess with crazy people

A disturbance caused by a male UA student at the UofA Bookstore triggered a University of Arizona Police Department response at 12:33 p.m. on Jan. 4. The man yelled at staff and smacked books, then threw a book while in line during a buy-back transaction.

“Are you like five?” a female staff member said.

“You’re going to graduate and become an ugly stripper,” the man replied, then added, “You shouldn’t mess with crazy people.”

The man then left the area.

The woman said she never felt threatened by the suspect, but was concerned since the man, who looked to be in his forties, had a child with him.

UAPD was able to locate the man’s contact information from the bookstore’s transaction, but was unable to reach him. Bookstore staff said they did not want to participate in any future court proceedings.

Benz on blocks

A UA student returned to her 2000 Mercedes Benz-Roadster in the Sixth Street Parking Garage following winter break to find all four tires had been stolen. The car was resting on cement blocks upon her return.

UAPD responded to the garage for theft from a vehicle on Jan. 2, when the woman initially noticed the incident.

The Mercedes was identified with Illinois license plates, and there was no apparent damage to the vehicle besides the tires. The student was able to provide a handwritten note dated Dec. 25, 2012, left by an officer who’d noticed the condition of her vehicle and detailing who to contact when she returned.

The woman had no idea who could have been responsible for the theft, and did not know the value of the missing parts. There are currently no leads or suspects.

The amazing race

A non-UA affiliated man was tackled to the floor and handcuffed after attempting to shoplift from the UofA Bookstore at 12:33 p.m. on Jan 4. A loss prevention staff member restrained the man on the ground, then a UAPD officer handcuffed him. The officer noted that the man had slurred speech and red eyes.

On video surveillance, the suspect was seen walking into the bookstore, putting on a red sweatshirt and then concealing white sunglasses and a baseball cap under the sweatshirt. He then grabbed a red and blue beanie and shoved it down the front of his jeans before exiting the store.

The prevention officer met the man outside and told him to return to the store to discuss the incident. The man shoved the officer and ran southbound down the breezeway outside the bookstore. The prevention officer chased the man and grabbed grabbed his sweater, causing him to fall and be restrained on the ground.

He was then turned over to the UAPD officer.

The suspect told the officer he entered the bookstore to “do a little shopping,” which is when he saw several items he “was amazed at.”

The items, which totaled $128.96, were returned to bookstore loss prevention staff, and a copy of the surveillance video was turned in to evidence. The suspect was provided a citation and told not to return to the any of the university’s bookstores.