UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo — Police responded to a break-in at a former seafood market and restaurant and arrested the suspect for stealing over $1,200 in air fresheners
University Police were called to Olive Boulevard at 11:26 p.m. on November 16 following reports of a break-in at an abandoned building in University City, previously a seafood market and restaurant now used for storage.
When officers arrived, they discovered the building, stocked with air fresheners, had been broken into. Rataka Lamonze Marshall of St. Louis was caught and charged with stealing over a thousand dollars’ worth of air fresheners.
Outside the back door, numerous boxes of air fresheners were found stacked alongside a pry bar and a meat cleaver. Upon entering the building, an officer encountered Marshall standing next to a shopping cart filled with air fresheners. Despite orders to stop, Marshall fled from the police to hide within the building.
The police repeated commands for Marshall to surrender, which were ignored, prompting warnings that the K9 unit would be deployed if he refused to listen. Eventually, Marshall surrendered and was taken into custody.
Marshall claimed he was merely sleeping in the unlocked building and not involved in theft. However, the estimated value of the air fresheners found outside and in the shopping cart exceeded $1,200.00.
