Crime & Safety

Shoplifter Target-ed at Atlantic Terminal Mall

A 16-year-old girl is arrested after being caught purse snatching inside the mall

A teenage girl was busted inside the Target store in the Atlantic Terminal Mall a day after Christmas as she hunted for five-finger discounts, sources and authorities said.

Target staffers spotted Dominiqu McWilliams, 16, trying to steal something from a shelf and quickly informed cops from the NYPD's 88th Precinct, who nabbed McWilliams while she was still in the store, according to employees and law enforcement sources.

When she was caught, authorities found an iPhone, an iPod, a cell phone, and cash, including a $2 bill shoved into the back of her pants, sources said. She also was carrying an undisclosed amount of Marijuana.

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After going through surveillance footage, McWilliams was spotted nabbing purses from three different women in their 20s that day. Store cameras also show her stealing purses from two other women on Dec. 20, the sources said.

"It's a good thing the NYPD responded and were able to resolve the whole thing," said a store employee, who asked not to be identified. "One less thing for customers to worry about."

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McWilliams, of Fulton St. in Bed-Stuy, was charged as an adult with grand larceny, four counts of criminal possession of stolen property and petit larceny, according to a spokesman from the Brooklyn DA's Office.


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