Police in Florida are attempting to track down a Florida man who hid hundreds of dollars worth of baby formula under his dress.
Cape Coral Police Department said in a statement that on April 27, staff at a Publix store at 2420 Santa Barbara Blvd, in southwest Florida, reported a retail theft.
The caller told Cape Coral Police she had seen a man driving a motorized cart around the store at around 9:40pm on April 27. She described the suspect as a black male dressed in a blue bonnet and a long, red and purple floral dress beneath a black jacket. The man was also wearing white sneakers.
The Publix employee told police she saw the man taking cans of 28 Enfamil Formula of the shelves. He then hid the tins under his outfit, and left the store without paying. Police believe the man stole at least $450 worth of goods.
Investigators believe the man could be the same suspect involved in thefts in Florida's North Fort Myers, Fort Myers, Naples, and Punta Gorda.
Police have dubbed the man the "blue bonnet baby formula bandit."
Master Sergeant Allan Kolak of the Cape Coral Police Department told McClatchy officials believe the man is the same suspect "based on the information obtained from other agencies and basically the way that he looks."
"You can actually tell that it does appear to be a male," Kolak said.
To help track down the bonnet-donning suspect, Cape Coral Police Department released CCTV footage of the incident.
The video shows the man swaying along the aisles of the Publix store in a mobility scooter, before stopping at the aisle where tins of baby formula were stacked. The suspect then circles around a stack of products labeled "new items," bumping into the display.
Next, he goes back to the baby formula and parks up his cart. Over the course of a few minutes, he is seen placing product after product into his shopping basket. The suspect is seen driving away from the area when a store employee comes towards him.
Footage from a separate part of the store shows his cart filled with the tins. There, he appears to place the 28 tins of formula on his scooter beneath his dress, before driving away with an empty basket.
Cape Coral Police has urged members of the public with information, including the identity of the suspect, to contact the department on 239-574-3223.
Anonymous tips can be given to www.capecops.com/tips, or by texting tip- text CCPD+"Your Message" to CRIMES (274637). The Crimestoppers number is 1-800-780-TIPS.
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Kashmira Gander is Deputy Science Editor at Newsweek. Her interests include health, gender, LGBTQIA+ issues, human rights, subcultures, music, and lifestyle. Her ... Read more
