Amarillo Police Warn Of Thieves Prowling Parking Lots After Woman’s Cell Phone Gets Stolen In Target Parking Lot

A suspicious car was "parking lot prowling" around the mall and other stores in Amarillo.  There was a man driving and a woman riding shotgun.  The driver was asking people if he could borrow their cell phone, pretending that his battery had lost power.  Ultimately, they made away with a woman's cell phone in the Target parking lot.  Luckily for her, undercover officers were watching the couple and caught up to them quick.  Amarillo police warn of this behavior and situation and give you tips on how you can protect yourself in a similar situation.

Amarillo Police:

"On the morning of 7-23-13, an APD SWAT officer in an unmarked police car saw a red BMW that appeared to be prowling the lot of a business near 45th and Cornell. He continued to follow the vehicle, which was driven by a white male with a white female passenger. It left the lot without stopping. The officer kept up surveillance as the occupants then drove to Westgate Mall. The driver continued to circle the mall and stopped and spoke to people walking across the lot. Other undercover officers had joined the effort to watch the suspicious pair. An officer spoke with one of the people that the driver of the BMW had made contact with, and found that the driver was trying to borrow a cell phone. The officers followed the vehicle as it drove to the Target parking lot, where the driver spoke to a female on the lot. The man then sped away, back toward the mall. Officers confirmed that the man had asked the woman at Target to use her phone. He told her that his cell phone was dead and he needed to contact someone. When she handed him her phone, he pretended to call someone then sped away with it. Other officers were still watching the vehicle as it returned to the Westgate Mall lot. The pair in the red car parked on the north side of the mall. They got out of the car and walked toward the door to enter. Several officers in plain clothes but wearing vests identifying them as police approached the two and identified themselves. The man immediately fled north, away from the mall entrance and his vehicle. The woman stopped and was detained. Officers pursued the male suspect on foot as he ran through traffic on the lot, crossed the frontal road, and went down into the muddy drainage between the access road and IH-40. The man ignored repeated orders to stop, though he did look back at the officers. The suspect was about to reach the top of the north side of drainage ditch when he fell. A pursuing officer took him into custody. The suspect dropped the just-stolen cell phone. The suspect is Granville Clement Smith, WM 40 of Lubbock. He was booked into the Potter County Detention Center on charges of theft and evading arrest. The female passenger was interviewed and released pending additional investigation.
This type of crime could happen again…but you can protect yourself. When walking across parking lots, watch for people that appear to be “prowling” a lot. Be alert for people that appear to be approaching you, and prepared to react to any tactic they use as an excuse to get close enough to you to steal from you or harm you. If you notice that someone is approaching you without a good reason, let them know that you see them. If needed, put distance or a vehicle between you and the suspect, or quickly get into your car if possible.
Being aware of your surroundings-and the people in them-is a key part of personal safety."

Personally, I take our pit with us everywhere we go.  He really seems to do a good job of keeping people away from our car!  Except when I ride with the windows down, his drool seems to fly all over the place even in my mouth.