‘Mass casualty event’ stopped by St. Peter Police after shoplifting arrest A man arrested for shoplifting in Mankato, Minnesota, led authorities to uncover weapons and evidence suggesting plans for a mass casualty attack within 24 hours. Mohamed Adan Mohamed, 24, was found with a list of survival gear and had previously posted alarming content involving firearms on social media, prompting a search of his home where more weapons were discovered; he remains in custody pending a court appearance. [Fox 9]
Amazon's Secretive GPU Strategy Pays Off as AI Demand Surges Amazon launched Project Greenland to secure enough GPU power for its AI ambitions, prioritizing access based on ROI and growth potential rather than first-come, first-served requests. With full GPU access through AWS and plans to expand use of its Trainium chips, Amazon expects to invest $5.7 billion in infrastructure in 2025, betting heavily on AI to drive future growth. [Yahoo Finance]
LAPD Seizes Stolen Bitcoin Miners Worth $2.7 Million in Cargo Theft Investigation LAPD detectives recovered over $3.9 million in stolen goods, including $2.7 million in Bitcoin miners, after uncovering a cargo theft ring linked to a South American crime syndicate operating in Los Angeles. Two suspects were arrested, and the operation involved coordination with multiple law enforcement agencies, with the investigation still ongoing. [Decrpyt]
Armed robbery spree targets 7-Eleven stores across SoCal, teenagers in custody A group of suspects, including two teenagers and a 21-year-old, carried out a series of armed robberies at five 7-Eleven stores across Southern California on April 18, using a stolen car and a handgun to intimidate employees. The crime spree ended after a police pursuit in downtown L.A., though one suspect remains at large. [ABC 7]
The Digital Dependency Dilemma: Are You Prepared for the Next Outage?
Tom Meehan, CEO CONTROLTEK comments@talklpnews.com
In today’s digital-first world, workplace and personal communication rely heavily on platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Skype. But recent breakdowns—such as the Slack outage , the Microsoft Teams downtime last week, and the imminent sunset of Skype on May 5, 2025;—have reminded us that, for all their current ubiquity, these communication tools are at the mercy of good fortune.
When these platforms are unavailable, work comes to a halt, appointments are neglected, and essential talks are postponed. This leads to an important thought: Is there an alternative we can turn to?
Numerous organizations have constructed workflows that hinge almost entirely on these applications, frequently without giving any thought to backup methods of communication. If your team had no access to either Slack or Teams for a whole day, could you still operate with any semblance of efficiency? Do you possess a recently updated list of your team's phone numbers, or would you need to go through some old files to find that information?
These disruptions emphasize the dangers associated with placing too much trust in any one system. To ensure their operations remain uninterrupted, organizations need to think about spreading out their communication methods. Whether it’s email, phone calls, text messages, or in-person check-ins, there must be a fail-safe to ensure messages still get through.
Now is the time to ask: How well do I—and my organization—handle outages? Is our contingency plan solid, or are we simply hoping these platforms stay online?
Way to go Ashley Thorpe, Regional Manager Organized Crime Investigations, CVS Health!
This long-standing ORC case Ashley and team have been been diligently working on for nearly four years has finally reached its conclusion. Ashley expressed her deepest gratitude to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office for their exceptional work and unwavering support throughout this case and the broader mission of ORC. See original post here.
North Texas police officers shoot, kill alleged Walmart shoplifting suspect
Decatur police officers shot and killed a man suspected of shoplifting Tuesday night, the department said.
The officers responded to a call about shoplifting at a Walmart on U.S. Highway 81 at 9:40 p.m, and saw a 46-year-old suspect running from the store, police chief Delvon Campbell said.
According to a press release from the department, the officers “quickly encountered” the suspect south of the store when they fired shots. The release did not say why the officers opened fire.
The suspect died at a local hospital. Police have not yet released his name.
Pawn shop owner, workers arrested in multi-million dollar retail crime ring: BSO
A South Florida pawn shop owner and multiple employees have been arrested amid an investigation into a years-long racketeering operation involving retail theft that cost companies millions of dollars, authorities said.
Seven suspects were arrested Tuesday following an investigation that began in 2022, Broward Sheriff's Office officials said.
Authorities said employees of U.S. Pawn paid for stolen merchandise brought to them by thieves or "boosters," then illegally sold the items.
"It was quite the operation, very lucrative unfortunately," BSO Sgt. Rich Rossman said Tuesday.
Springfield PD arrests 19 in retail theft operation, recovers $3,000 in stolen goods
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. — On Saturday, April 19, members of the Springfield Police Department Crime Reduction Unit partnered with loss prevention personnel from several Springfield businesses on a retail theft operation.
These operations resulted in 19 total arrests for various crimes.
"None of the arrested individuals made any attempt to pay for the items they had taken from inside the store," Springfield PD said.
More than 250 stolen items were recovered, totaling nearly $3,000 worth of stolen property. All the recovered items were later returned to the rightful owners, SPD said.
Norfolk mayor, top prosecutor trade barbs over shoplifting cases amid reelection bid
Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander said the city’s top prosecutor is not doing enough to go after shoplifters. But Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi dismissed the claims as part of a political power grab.
The move comes as Fatehi runs his first reelection campaign, seeking the Democratic nomination in the June 17 primary. Alexander has thrown his support behind Fatehi’s opponent, John Butler.
SLMPD working to ID organized retail theft suspects
St. Louis Metropolitan Police are asking for the public’s help identifying members of an alleged organized theft ring that targeted a lululemon in the Central West End.
According to police, the suspects in the attached photos worked together and stole over $3,200 worth of goods on April 16 from the store at 26 Maryland Plaza. Police said store staff were overwhelmed by the coordinated theft.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s bag, including $3,000 in cash, is stolen from DC restaurant
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem fell victim to a thief while eating dinner at a downtown Washington, DC, restaurant Sunday night, the secretary confirmed Monday.
Noem, who was asked about the theft at the White House Easter Egg Roll, acknowledged the incident and said the matter has not been resolved.
Stopping Violence Against Retail Employees: Something We Can All Agree On
ORC and shoplifting are no longer isolated problems—they are organized, costly, and increasingly violent. While experts debate the true financial toll, one fact remains clear: retail employees are at risk. Confrontations with offenders have become more frequent and dangerous. This white paper urges retailers to go beyond loss prevention, prioritizing employee well-being as part of a responsible and sustainable retail strategy.
‘Trade war is travel retail’s golden ticket’
As global trade tensions intensify, retailers and brands are bracing for disruption. Yet, amid the uncertainty, the travel retail sector is emerging as a strategic bright spot.
Earlier this month, President Trump declared “Liberation Day,” unveiling sweeping tariffs — a 10% baseline on all imports and sharply higher rates on key categories such as electronics, automobiles, and luxury goods.
After sharp market backlash and pressure from U.S. business leaders, the administration paused the most aggressive measures for 90 days, with the exception of China, which continues to face a 145% tariff.
Tigard Police officers arrest 10 people during retail theft crackdown on shoplifting
Police arrested ten people in Tigard during a recent retail theft mission aimed at stopping shoplifting and robbery at businesses.
The Tigard Police Commercial Crimes Unit carried out the mission on March 28 at the Target store on Southwest Hall Boulevard, working with loss prevention employees to stop the alleged shoplifters.
Throughout the one-day mission, they arrested ten people and recovered 37 stolen items worth more than $600.
Three of those people were booked into jail, including Zia Iqbal Ahmad, Patricia Trumper, and Alexandra Lee. Another three were under 18 years old and referred to the juvenile department.
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