CLEARWATER, Fla. -- A woman recorded a confrontation with an alleged thief outside a Walmart in Clearwater.
The incident happened earlier in the month at the Walmart on U.S. Highway 19 in Clearwater.
"I’m baffled. I’m livid, I’m emotional about it," said Emma Gans.
Emma Gans recorded the confrontation with the alleged thief on her cell phone. She said her fiancé dropped his wallet near the cosmetics aisle. She returned to the aisle about 5 to 10 minutes later and saw the suspect pick up the wallet.
"This guy comes in on a motorized scooter and sees the wallet as I’m starting to go for it. He hurries up and goes and gets it. I said, 'Hey, that's my fiancé wallet. Can I please have it? It's not yours.' He turns around and says, 'I don't know what you are talking about,'" Gans said.
Daniel McManis realized his wallet was gone after he went outside the store to smoke a cigarette.
"I was mad. I was pretty livid," McManis said.
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Gans followed the suspect outside the store and continued to ask him to return the wallet.
"Make sure to keep a safe distance, don’t do what I did, I was right up on him," she added.
Police said the suspect refused to return the wallet, but later tossed it at the victims and took off.
"I’m yelling at him, yelling at customers and clerks saying, 'stop him, he stole my fiancé's wallet,'" Gans said.
Police said the suspect stole cash from the wallet. Gans said they were going to use the money to treat their daughter's ear infections.
"I’ve never had something physically taken from me or something like that happen especially out in public where there are a bunch of people around, witnesses and cameras," Gans said.
Clearwater Police is asking for the public's help to identify the individual. Call 727-562-4242.
