By Ryan Yousefi
In a case of lotion larceny gone awry, a man and his accomplice were caught red-handed – or rather, red-skinned – after stealing over 70 bottles of lotion from a local Walgreens.
On March 3, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported lotion theft in progress at the Walgreens located at 6401 West Commerical Boulevard.
According to the report, the manager on duty at Walgreens recognized the alleged thief, later identified as Anthony Nigel Sealey, 34, of Miramar, from a prior incident and immediately alerted the police.
The report says Sealey was observed by employees and on surveillance footage entering the store and filling a garbage bag with several bottles of various brands of lotions from the cosmetic section of the store before exiting the store past all points of sale without attempting to pay.
Upon leaving the store, the report says Sealey walked over to a gray Acura sedan parked at the northeast corner of the business, where the getaway driver, later identified as Manuel Laguerre, 34, of Miramar, was waiting.
Witnesses say Laguerre and Sealey then drove southbound from the Walgreens parking lot onto Northwest 64th Avenue and stopped at the red stop light on Commercial Boulevard.
Following the theft, the Walgreens shift manager remained on the phone with the police and actively watched the vehicle en route to the call. The manager helped deputies confirm that the car they were behind was involved in the crime.
After deputies reviewed security footage in the store, deputies in pursuit conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle in the Chase Bank parking lot located at 6399 West Commercial Boulevard.
The report says as deputies approached the vehicle, they witnessed Sealey sitting in the rear passenger seat with multiple shampoo/lotion bottles all over his lap, matching the description of the suspect provided by the manager.
Both Sealey and Laguerre were taken into custody and interviewed by deputies while store employees determined the extent of their alleged theft.
After a review of inventory, the arrest report shows Walgreens determined a total of 71 various brands of lotions were stolen from the store, valued at $860.79.
During an interview, Laguerre claimed he had no knowledge that Sealey was going into the Walgreens to steal items but knew after he saw Sealey walking to the car with the large trash bag that he had stolen items from the business. He did not attempt to stop Sealey and agreed to drive away after the fact.
Both Sealey and Laguerre were transported to the Broward County Main Jail. Sealey’s bail was set at $5,000, while Laguerre’s bail was set at $2,500.
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