Pre-holiday shoplifters elude Lawrence police; public asked to identify man in photo

Just before Christmas, shoplifters are at work in Lawrence retail stores.

Police responded to two reports on Thursday that escalated, one where the suspect eluded police in his car and the other where the suspect allegedly battered an employee before escaping.

About 12:40 p.m. Thursday officers were called to a business in the 500 block of Congressional Drive after someone reported that a man tried to shoplift items, but the suspect fled before police arrived, Officer Andrew Fennelly said.

A Douglas County sheriff’s deputy in the area spotted a vehicle matching the description of the suspect’s vehicle, but the vehicle fled and the deputy lost sight of it, Fennelly said. A Lawrence police officer located the vehicle a short time later and pulled it over near Daylilly Drive and Daylilly Court.

The driver was arrested on charges including theft and an unrelated warrant, Fennelly said.

Just before noon Thursday officers responded to a business in the 1000 block of West 23rd Street, where a man allegedly attempted to shoplift and, when confronted by a store employee, battered him, Fennelly said. The employee was not injured.

Police could not find the suspect but on Friday released a surveillance image of him on Twitter (@LawrenceKS_PD) in hopes that the public can help identify him. Anyone with information about the suspect’s identity is asked to call the Douglas County Emergency Communications Center at 832-7509.