Shoplifter Tackled by Gloucester Twp. NJ Police in Middle of Road

What was this shoplifter thinking? He probably wasn't and that's the problem. Sounds like he needs a serious intervention.

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Police in Gloucester Township chased down a suspect early Tuesday afternoon who reportedly stole from the Target store off Berlin-Cross Keys Road in Sicklerville. They literally tackled the man in the middle of traffic as he ran across that busy roadway.

And it's not the first time Robert E. Joyner III, of Winslow, has shoplifted from that Target. In fact, he's been banned from the store, according to Courier Post, for stealing more than $20,000 in items in just the last six months! Joyner has been reported by Target Sicklerville for suspected shoplifting on 15 different occasions.

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So, it must not have been a surprise to Joyner that he was pretty quickly spotted by Target's loss prevention team when he entered the store on Tuesday just after 1 p.m. By that point, he reportedly already had about $500 in electronics stashed in his backpack.

After being confronted by officers from Gloucester Twp. Police Department, Joyner took off and wouldn't listen to commands to stop running. He was taken down in the middle of Berlin-Cross Keys Rd., a four-lane roadway, and arrested. The officers experienced minor injuries during the course of the struggle, but no one was seriously hurt.

Joyner's most recent shoplifting incident is under investigation. He's super lucky neither he or the officers were hit by any vehicles during his apprehension. The scene could have been much worse. I hope Joyner gets the help he needs because more than a dozen instances of shoplifting (and that's just from ONE store) feels like a cry for help.

SOURCES: Courier Post