Nike store heist starts police chase




Two men from the Fresno area are facing charges of felony grand theft after authorities chased and caught them last week following a coordinated grab-and-go robbery from the Nike store at the Westlake Promenade, police said.

Sometime after 4:30 p.m. July 26, Ventura County sheriff’s dispatch received a phone call from the store reporting that a group of four men had come into the business and made off with handfuls of merchandise, Capt. Eric Buschow said.

“They had gone in there and done this before,” he said. “There are groups that travel up and down the state all the time doing what we would consider organized retail theft.”

Once a description of the men and their vehicle went out over the airwaves, a deputy attempted to stop the four-door white Buick before it got on the 101 Freeway, but the driver did not pull over, Buschow said.

Pursuing deputies lost sight of the Buick near the Pleasant Valley/Santa Rosa Road exit in Camarillo, but the car was spotted again near Santa Rosa and Moorpark roads near the base of the Norwegian Grade a short while later. At that point, Buschow said, the driver got on the 23 Freeway in Moorpark and headed south toward Thousand Oaks.

The Buick occupants eventually ditched the car near the Gelson’s Market near Townsgate Road and Village Glen in Westlake, according to police.

Deputies were able to catch up to them nearby, including one in the CVS pharmacy, a community member who was in the store said.

Buschow identified the suspects as Royce Turner, 27, and Jonathan Bookman, 31. Authorities said the two other men seen taking items from the store may have escaped in a second vehicle.

Buschow said organized retail theft is common in the county as well as the rest of the state, although most group members the sheriff’s department arrests are from out of town.

Often groups will have a niche they specialize in stealing, he said.

“You’ll see groups that take mostly diapers and formula, and people think, ‘Oh, they’re taking it because they need it for their babies,’” he said. “No, no, no. They’re taking a large amount and, like other products, they’re turning around and selling it at a discounted price.”

He said other niches include electronics and household products like detergent and razor blade cartridges.

Store policies and changes in laws in the last 10 years have emboldened criminals, Buschow said.

First, many stores have a hands-off policy because companies don’t want their staff members to get hurt in an encounter.

“As long as—they’re under $950, it’s a misdemeanor, and misdemeanor shoplifting has become a very low-level crime,” Buschow said. “Plus, the consequences don’t increase with each occurrence like they used to, and what we’re seeing as a consequence of that is these people don’t care.”

While bail for the two men was originally set at $100,000, it was reduced to $20,000 for Turner and $30,000 for Booker following a July 29 bail hearing, court records show. In addition to the felony theft charge, Booker faces an additional charge of felony evading/willful disregard.

As of Monday, both men remained in custody.