Crime & Safety

Police Surround Target, Take 2 into Custody

Police surrounded Target on California Oaks Road in Murrieta Wednesday night, waiting for two shoplifting suspects to exit.

UPDATED at 1:45 p.m. July 19 with jail booking information.

As they exited Target in Murrieta Wednesday, a man and a woman were arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary, possession of burglary tools and possession of methamphetamine, police said.

A call came in to the at about 6:51 p.m. Wednesday from Target Loss Prevention that two known shoplifting suspects were in the store at , according to Murrieta police Sgt. Matt Henry.

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"They stated there were a male and a female in the store whom they recognized from committing shoplifting at other Target stores," the sergeant told Patch.

The suspects allegedly tried to return some shoplifted items but were turned away, Henry said.

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Officers responded to Target, where they positioned themselves at various locations waiting for the suspects to exit, he said.

"We set up sort of a perimeter because we didn't know what door they would be coming out of," Henry said.

About an hour later—just after 8 p.m.—the suspects were taken into custody as they walked out of the store, he said.

"They were in there for quite a while," Henry said.

The suspects were identified as Peter Ransom, 42, and Dana Allen, 34, he said.

The burglary tools they were allegedly in possession of were for taking magnetic sensors off merchandise, Henry said.

The suspects did not have any stolen items on them as they exited the store, he said.

Allen was booked at Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine, conspiracy to commit a felony, attempted burglary and probation violation, jail records showed. She was being held on $25,000 bail.

Ransom was being held at Southwest Detention Center in lieu of $5,000 bail on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a burglary and attempted burglary.

Both were due in court Friday.


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