An effort to shoplift items ranging from cupcakes and a comforter to a Hello Kitty scooter and a security safe failed when the driver of the get-away car crashed at the WalMart entrance last night in Fort Walton Beach. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office says Freddie McCrea hit three cars in the parking lot and fled before he was tracked down in a dumpster behind the nearby Panda Express restaurant.
Loss Prevention Officers at the Wal-Mart at 748 Beal Parkway says it started when at least two women walked out of the store around 6:30 p.m. with shopping carts full of items they had not purchased.
When approached, they abandoned their carts and ran to a nearby car. The driver, later identified as McCrea, sped off but deputies were on the scene quickly and attempted a traffic stop. McCrea led them on a short, low speed pursuit in the area of Clifford and Yancey Streets before deputies ended the pursuit when McCrea crossed Beal Parkway back into the area of Wal-Mart and Lowes. They found the car seconds later however crashed in front of Wal-Mart. They located 19-year old Rashavia Manuel and 25-year old Lauren Nicole Pinkney in the women’s bathroom at the Panda Express restaurant and found McCrea hiding in the dumpster behind the building. He is charged with fleeing and eluding and driving with a revoked license.
Deputies arrested Manuel on charges of theft and possession of marijuana. Pinkney is charged with theft with three or more prior convictions. All three are Pensacola residents.
