Three individuals were apprehended on Monday after allegedly shoplifting from a Target store in Mansfield, Texas. The suspects fled the scene in a vehicle that had been reported stolen earlier that day, leading police on a pursuit that culminated in a crash on Interstate 20 in Dallas. Fortunately, no injuries were reported as a result of the incident.
The chase began around 3:02 p.m. when Mansfield police received a report of shoplifting occurring at the Target located on North U.S. 287 Frontage Road. Authorities later identified the driver of the stolen Toyota Camry as 65-year-old Nelson Murray, who faces multiple charges including unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, evading arrest, and organized retail theft.
Two passengers in the vehicle, 62-year-old Willie McNealy and 63-year-old Erwin Roland, who was apprehended at the Target, have also been charged with engaging in organized retail theft.
A witness provided police with a description of the suspects’ vehicle, prompting the deployment of the department’s Drone as First Responder program. Utilizing the drone, officers successfully located the vehicle and obtained its license plate number, which revealed that it had been stolen earlier that day in Richardson.
When officers attempted to pull over the Camry, the driver refused to stop and fled, leading to a chase that ended when the vehicle collided with a white Chevrolet Suburban that was stationary on the shoulder of I-20. The occupants of the Suburban were engaged in an unrelated traffic incident at the time of the crash.
All three suspects were taken into custody without further incident and transported to the Mansfield Jail. Authorities recovered a total of $1,575.54 in stolen merchandise, with $383.91 recovered from Roland and another $1,192.63 found in the vehicle.
Thankfully, there were no reported injuries resulting from either the crash or the earlier pursuit, and the investigation into the event is still ongoing.
