Two men suspected of attempted theft from Walmart led Kewanee police on a brief vehicle pursuit after one of the men fled the store and hopped into a getaway car driven by the second man.
In a news release, the Kewanee Police Department announced the arrest of the driver of the vehicle, Ramone Gorden, 20 of Harper Woods, Mich., and the passenger Demarco Johnson, 19 of Detroit, Mich.
Both men were charged with burglary, a Class 2 felony, criminal conspiracy to commit burglary, a Class 1 felony, resisting or obstructing a peace officer and unlawful possession of ammunition without a valid FOID card, a Class A misdemeanor.
The driver of the car, Gorden, was charged with the additional offenses of aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer, reckless driving and aggravated speeding in a school zone. Gorden also received multiple traffic citations related to the pursuit and crash.
The incident occurred at approximately 1:09 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19 when officers responded to a report of retail theft in progress at the Kewanee Walmart store located at 730 Tenney Street.
Store employees reported a man in the electronics department who matched the description of a known theft suspect.
When officers made contact with Johnson, he fled on foot through the front entrance of the Walmart store and jumped into an awaiting white four-door sedan in the parking lot, driven by Gorden.
The vehicle then fled northbound on Tenney Street, and the police initiated a brief pursuit before terminating it for public safety concerns.
The vehicle was later reported as having crashed in the 600 block of North Main Street. Gorden and Johnson both fled on foot but were quickly located and apprehended without further incident.
According to Walmart loss-prevention staff, the two men are suspected in multiple other theft incidents at Walmart locations across several states. Police say detectives are coordinating with other agencies and Walmart corporate security to determine the full scope of the men’s reported criminal activity.
The two men are being held at the Henry County Jail .
“The Kewanee Police Department extends its appreciation to the Henry County Sheriff’s Department for their immediate assistance in establishing a perimeter and helping to locate the suspects following the crash, as well as to Walmart loss-prevention personnel for their
cooperation,” the KPD’s news release reads.
This remains an active investigation. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the KPD at 309-853-1911.
