Police: Texas woman used children to shoplift at Macy’s

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A woman who fled shirtless after getting caught shoplifting at a Texas Macy’s was using four children younger than 10 in her scheme, police say.

On Nov. 12 around 2 p.m., an employee at the Macy’s called police to report two women and four children between the ages of 7 and 10 were shoplifting at the store, according to an affidavit. The employee was monitoring the security cameras when she noticed the group would take multiple trips in and out of the store with merchandise they hadn’t paid for.

In one trip, the children came into the store and went up the escalators, then met up with the two women in the bedding and pillow area, police said the employee told authorities. According to the arrest warrant, when the women pointed to the pillows, the children grabbed them and tried to carry them out of the store.

When the employee tried to stop the children, the two adult suspects, one identified as Martha Monique Lopez, 27, approached her, authorities said. One of the suspects told her to let the children go and then pushed her, continued the affidavit. The employee told police that’s when the children and one of the women took off running. When the employee tried to grab the children, Lopez “told her to let her children go” and started to punch her, according to the affidavit.

The employee tried to grab Lopez but only managed to rip her shirt off as she was running away, police said. Authorities said the suspect “ran out of the store wearing just a black bra.”

Surveillance cameras were able to identify the suspects’ vehicle in the parking lot and link it back to Lopez, according to court documents. The store said the suspects stole nearly $2,000 worth of merchandise before they ran off, according to police.

Lopez is expected to be charged with robbery by assault.