Gardena, Shoplifting at Albertson's, Case Dismissed

Our client, age 40 and with no criminal history, allegedly took $28.02 in vegetables, fruit, coffee and lunch meat from Albertson’s without paying for the items.

Summary: Client Shoplifts $28.02 from Albertson’s in Gardena; Misdemeanor Complaint for Penal Code § 484 in Torrance Court; Case Resolved with Dismissal after 40 Hours of Community Service and Pays Fines.

When our client, who was Japanese, asked what was going on, the apparently homeless woman babbled “you people deserve this” and then rambled on about “Oriental people.” She then told our client that she was “oppressing” her. The woman did not apologize or have any regret for her vandalism.

Remarkably, the woman did provide her proof of insurance and her ID, which my client photographed with her i-Pad.

Our client then returned the documents to the homeless woman. The lady then got in her car and yelled out that our client would “go to hell for this” as she drove away.

Our client was clearly jarred by the event, but attempted to continue on with her shopping. She walked into the Albertson’s, but the shock of the confrontation weighed on her mind. Loss prevention noted how she just walked up and down the supermarket aisles at a brisk pace, not putting anything in her cart until just before leaving the store.

She then placed a few items in her grocery cart. She then walked directly out the front door, never pausing in the slightest for a cash register.

When confronted by loss prevention, our client burst into tears and explained that she did not know what she was doing.

To the most casual observer, it seemed like our client never had the specific intent to steal. While her mind never left the parking lot, her body went inside the market.

Regardless, she was detained by loss prevention, who called the Gardena Police Department. The police came to the store and issued our client a promise to appear in court on a future date, which our client signed.

Torrance Courthouse

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