A Leesburg man was arrested after stuffing a stolen backpack with Walmart merchandise and running into traffic to avoid a deputy when caught.
A deputy responded to Walmart, located at 17961 S U.S. Hwy. 441, Summerfield, regarding 27-year-old Kahlil Malik Caswell stealing items around 2:30 p.m. Monday, according to an arrest report from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Upon arrival, the deputy met with a Walmart employee who advised that Caswell was still inside the store. Other employees and a loss prevention officer had seen him suspiciously stuffing merchandise into a tan backpack. The deputy explained that as Caswell did not leave the store with the items, he could not be charged with retail theft. The store wanted him trespassed instead, the report said.
The loss prevention officer stated Caswell was heading for the garden exit, and by the time the deputy got there, he was roughly 75 yards away from the store. Caswell abandoned a tan backpack that he was wearing on video inside the store. Stolen items were found inside the backpack, which the loss prevention officer advised was also stolen, the report said.
After returning the backpack to Walmart, the deputy found a black hat Caswell had been wearing. It was about 20 yards from his last known position on the same path he took to leave. The deputy continued searching the area and spotted Caswell walking toward him along U.S. Hwy. 441. He denied being at Walmart that day when asked, the report said.
The deputy then asked Caswell to place his hands behind his back to detain him. He instead turned and ran into traffic, almost getting hit by multiple vehicles as he fled westbound across the highway. The deputy chased him for about 200 to 300 yards before he was found hiding in the bushes by a homeowner in a residential area, the report said.
Once he was read his rights, Caswell admitted he stole multiple items from Walmart and abandoned the backpack when he noticed he had been discovered. He came from Leesburg to the store with the intent to steal the items for money. He fled from law enforcement because he was afraid of going back to jail due to his history of arrests, the report said.
The stolen items were estimated to be $266.96 in value. Dispatch advised that he had at least two previous convictions for petit theft, the report said.
Caswell was arrested on charges of petit theft (third or subsequent offense) and resist officer (obstruct without violence). He was transported to Marion County Jail with bond set at $3,500.
He was also arrested in Sept. 2017 after a confrontation over a botched McDonald’s order, in May 2021 for leaving methamphetamine in the back of a police car, in Nov. 2022 for trying to break into cars at Publix and in Aug. 2023 for stealing from Walmart with drugs in his backpack.