Police: Man Caught Stealing, Robs Target Security, Arrested in Oakdale

Article by Shawn Hogendorf

A 29-year-old Hudson, Wis., man was arrested in Oakdale last week after he allegedly got caught shoplifting at Target, gave back the merchandise and fled the store—only to return, assault security staff and make off with the loot.

Samuel Perez was later arrested by the Minnesota State Patrol on suspicion of robbery, assault and shoplifting near I-694 and Highway 5 in Oakdale.

According to police:

Target security staff noticed Perez walking through the aisles at Target, filling a diaper bag with various food items, a roll of duct tape and the movie, “Oblivion.”

A security staff member told police he began “obviously” following Perez through the store, in the hopes that he may “abort his concealing of merchandise” and leave the store on his own accord.

Instead, Perez allegedly walked past the cash registers and out the door with about $52 worth of items. Security staff stopped him in the parking lot, where Perez allegedly relinquished the loot, shoved the security staff member, threw a stolen bottle of water at him and fled along the sidewalk.

The security staff member told police he allowed Perez to leave while he gathered the merchandise from the sidewalk.

But as the employee walked back into work, Perez allegedly came back to the Target, threw rocks he gathered from a nearby planter at the security staff member and then “began to physically accost him on the sidewalk,” the report states. As the security staff member retreated into work, Perez allegedly punched him in the head twice, took the stolen diaper bag back and fled the parking lot in his vehicle.

The Target employee was able to provide police with a description of the vehicle, a license plate information and video of the entire incident.

A State Trooper stopped Perez in Oakdale, and police recovered the stolen merchandise.

Perez was jailed and eventually charged with fifth-degree assault, robbery and shoplifting.