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Police seek help in identifying distraction theft suspect

Thieves obtained a woman's PIN number by watching her at a bank machine then engineered a complex distraction to get her wallet
welten_theft
Photo provided by Barrie Police Service

NEWS RELEASE

BARRIE POLICE SERVICE

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Video surveillance has been reviewed after a wallet was stolen from the front seat of a vehicle and used to withdraw cash from a nearby bank machine in, what police believe was, a complex distraction theft.

On Wednesday, May 18, 2016 at 11:30 a.m. the victim attended Walmart located at 35 Mapleview Drive East, in the City of Barrie.

The male suspect one line over observed the victim's PIN number while checking out and making payment. 

The male then followed the victim out to the parking lot while on a cellular phone to a second male in a silver van driving nearby. Once the victim began pulling out of the parking spot, the male on foot flagged her down telling her there was a piece of metal in her rear passenger side tire. 

While the victim was looking at her rear tire on the passenger side with the first male, the silver van pulled up to the drivers side where the occupant jumped out and entered the victim's vehicle removing the wallet. Within 10 minutes of the incident occurring, cash withdrawals were made with the stolen debit card.

Description Suspect #1:

  • Male, possibly of Mexican descent
  • 5'5"
  • Thick Spanish accent
  • Sunglasses
  • wearing green hat, blue shoes, beige pants and grey sweatshirt

Description Suspect #2: No description available at this time