Crime & Safety

Shoplifting at Kohl's; Referee KOs Hockey Player

The following information was provided by the West Bloomfield Township Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.

 reports from March 6-12 included 67 alarms, 27 crashes and 16 arrests. Among the highlights:

Two ticketed for retail fraud at Kohl's

Two young men were arrested after allegedly shoplifting clothes and shoes from March 8, according to Lt. Tim Diamond.

A 20-year-old Detroit resident with a prior warrant for felony-level probation violation and a 19-year-old Southfield resident were spotted by a loss prevention officer hiding shoes, slacks, hooded sweatshirts, and beads after leaving a dressing room around 7:25 p.m., Diamond said.

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Diamond added that both were given citations and that the 20-year-old was turned over to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

Referee knocks out hockey player in game

Fights in inline hockey games are common, but an incident at the March 6 is being investigated after a referee allegedly injured a hockey player, according to Diamond.

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As the victim, a 25-year-old Fraser man, was skating away from a scuffle during a game about 10 p.m. that night, he later told police that he thought the referee bumped him from behind, knocking him to the floor and causing him to temporarily lose consciousness, Diamond said.

"From time to time, players in sports will get in scuffles. It’s usually considered part of the game. But this is actually a referee," Diamond said. "Referees shouldn’t be getting into altercations with players."

The victim was later diagnosed at as having suffered a concussion, and Diamond said that police plan to interview the referee.

Unlocked cars targeted in nighttime thefts

Police are investigating a string of six or more thefts from unlocked vehicles parked in driveways at the 4900 block of Cherry Blossom Circle and the 2000 block of Christopher Court, according to Diamond.

The incidents, all reported as having occurred overnight between March 8-9, resulted in losses ranging from $30 in change to $130 cash to a GPS unit valued at $250, Diamond said. There were no signs of forced entry to the vehicles, Diamond added.

Police believe that the incidents represent "car-hopping" — when one or a few people, usually teens, break into unlocked vehicles on a given street overnight, according to Diamond.

If you have any information about these incidents, you can call West Bloomfield Police at (248) 975-9200. For questions about this report, email tim.rath@patch.com.


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