A homeless man was arrested after attempting to steal two generators, worth a total of $796, from Walmart.
Officers responded to Walmart, located at 2501 Citrus Blvd., regarding a theft around 2:40 p.m. Monday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Dispatch advised that the suspect, 36-year-old Christopher Joseph McBride, ran from asset protection and got into the passenger side of a white BMW.
The officers located the vehicle on U.S. Hwy. 441 in front of the store and stopped it there. They detained the two occupants, taking McBride back to Walmart to continue the investigation. Once there, the officers spoke with loss prevention about the theft, the report said.
An employee stated that McBride came into the store, grabbed two $398 Pulsar Generators from the hardware department, put them in a shopping cart and tried to leave through the garden center. He showed an associate at the exit door a fake receipt on his cell phone, which prompted asset protection to escort him to their office. This was when he ran and left the items behind, the report said.
A subsequent check of McBride’s criminal history revealed one prior conviction for theft, the report said.
The New York native was arrested on charges of retail theft (greater than $750) and resist merchant. He was booked at Lake County Jail with bond set at $3,500.