Police seek info on Friedman’s shoplifting suspect

Petaluma police are looking for the public’s help to identify a suspected thief who reportedly loaded up a shopping cart at a local Friedman’s Home Improvement store before making a getaway through an emergency exit – the second such case police announced in two months.

The suspect reportedly triggered an alarm on the door as he exited with the cart, which he had packed with a power tool and related accessories. He then entered an older-model white Dodge Caravan waiting near the exit, and was gone before the arrival of law enforcement around 6 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the announcement by the Petaluma Police Department.

A surveillance camera at the store, which is located at 429 N. McDowell Blvd., captured an image of the suspect and the vehicle.

An unknown man was reported to have stolen a generator through similar means on April 22.

The suspect is described as a six-foot-tall white male adult between 30 and 35 years old, weighing around 240 pounds. He has dark-colored hair and a dark-colored beard with a mustache.

He was last seen wearing a light-colored baseball cap with a dark-colored brim, a white polo shirt with dark stripes, dark-colored shorts and black-and-white Converse-type shoes.

In the previous incident, the suspect was described as a white male between 25 and 30 years old and around five feet, 10 inches tall. He was said to weigh around 220 pounds, sport a dark-colored mustache and beard and was last seen wearing a black shirt under a blue-and-white plaid overshirt, khaki-colored pants and light grey shoes.

Those with information that could help with the case are asked to contact the Petaluma Police Department at 707-781-1220.

(Contact Eric Gneckow at eric.gneckow@arguscourier.com. On Twitter @Eric_Reports)