Shoplifting Turns to Violence; Identity Theft Reported

reports from Jan. 17-23 included 58 alarms, 30 crashes and 13 arrests. Among the highlights:

Retail fraud turns violent after confrontation

Police are investigating a report of an alleged shoplifter at who shoved an employee into metal shelving units before escaping into a waiting vehicle, West Bloomfield Police Lt. Tim Diamond said.

The incident occurred about 11 a.m. Jan. 20 after the female employee watched the female suspect take one bottle of shampoo (valued at $19, according to Diamond) and two bottles of conditioner ($40) from a shelf and put them in her purse. The employee approached the suspect and removed the items from her purse, Diamond said, and the suspect shoved her into some nearby metal shelves before running away.

Other employees chased the suspect outside, where a Ford Freestyle was waiting with a man behind the wheel, according to Diamond. The suspect escaped, but the employees obtained a license plate number from the vehicle. Diamond said he expects the pair to be found soon. Meanwhile, the assaulted employee did not require medical treatment.

More than $1,000 lost in identity theft

A 52-year-old West Bloomfield Township woman reported that she received a call from her credit card company indicating someone had recently made more than $1,000 worth of purchases that she said she did not make, Diamond said.

Police believe someone must have gotten ahold of the woman's Nordstrom Visa credit card number, because she still had the card in her possession. The suspect, who was unknown at this time, made $707 worth of purchases at Kohl's and $358 at Macy's, both online, Diamond said.

The incident was reported Jan. 21 and turned over to detectives.

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.