Tempe Police reported the following incident Tuesday:
Two Phoenix men were arrested May 15 on the 200 block of South McClintock Drive on suspicion of trafficking in stolen property, organized retail theft and shoplifting at a Target located on the 1800 block of East Rio Salado Drive, according to a police report.
The first man was seen on surveillance removing two bottles of cologne from the sales shelf, according to the report. A security officer then saw the man begin to walk down the aisle and place the items in his pants pocket, police said.
That man was then seen walking out toward the front entrance without paying for the items, police reported. The officer saw the man hand the bottles to the other man outside the store, according to the report.
The other man immediately entered the store and went directly to the customer service counter to conduct a non-receipt return for the two bottles of cologne, according to the report. A gift card worth $119.65 was issued to him, police said.
Officers contacted both men as they were walking away from the store, police said. During a search, the gift card was found on the first man, according to the report.
The first man denied stealing any items but the second man admitted to the theft, police said. He said the plan was to split the proceeds of the gift card, according to the report.
Both men were transported to Tempe City Jail where they were booked and held to see a judge.
Reports compiled by Kelcie Grega.
Reach the assistant news editor at kgrega@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @kelciegrega.
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