On Saturday, the 13th of September, 2025, at approximately 12:57 p.m., officers were dispatched to the Walmart on South Route 83 in Villa Park, Illinois for a retail theft suspect being held by loss prevention. And now, watch what happens when officers come face-to-face with the suspect and take over the case. >> Is he over there in there? >> Uh, so she's right here. But yeah, I was actually getting video for our suspect. >> Hey, nice place. How are you? >> Hello. >> Hi, miss. How are you? >> I'm pretty okay. >> Boyfriend? >> Okay, cool. We get her identified yet or no? Not yet? What's your name, young lady? >> Um, Breanna. >> Breanna? Okay. >> Oh, he already wrote everything down. Oh, you have to do it, too? >> Yeah, this is my town. My town. All right. Can we go in here and talk really quick? Sorry. >> I don't want to go all the way in there. I'm like claustrophobic. >> Okay. All right. Thank you. And uh, your phone number? >> Uh, why do you need the phone number? >> I need that. >> Why? >> Because. >> Because. >> So, I got to talk to them, but right now you're not free to leave, so I'm going to need it for my report. That's why. All right? >> Okay. So, what's up with >> Give me Breanna. Stay with me, all right? We'll talk. >> Um. >> You got an Illinois state ID or driver's license? You do? So, because you are not free to go, okay? >> Okay, thank you. >> No, you are not free to go. >> Why? >> Because I got to I got to talk to them. I just got here. I know you've been here a while, but I'm I'm the investigating officer, you young lady. Come on, bear with me. I got to find out what what happened. >> Nothing happened. They They're saying I didn't pay for all of my items. >> Okay, and that's why I'm here. All right? So, because you are not free to go, you have the right to remain silent. You understand each of these rights I've explained to you, Breanna? >> Yeah. >> All right. Having these rights in mind, do you wish to talk to me? >> No. >> No, okay. All right. Then I I don't know where my partner is. You mind staying here for a second? You're not free to go yet. Just hang tight, okay? Hey, what's going on, guys? I'm good. Good. What happened? So, I was So, I was alerted by the self-checkout host that she had all the food that was >> Okay. >> And she was beginning to pay, but there was a whole bunch of stuff that was not on the receipt. >> Okay. >> Way underneath. Yeah. >> Okay. >> That was way underneath. That she didn't even attempt to scan. >> Okay. >> And when we watched the video, and he ran it back, and she didn't attempt to scan none of >> Okay. So, how much is this stuff? >> I'm working on it. >> Okay. And what's that other stuff? What is >> Uh not EBT. She paid $94 in EBT out of a $100 bill, and $5 on her debit card. >> $5 on her debit. Okay. How much stuff is it over there? >> Um it's probably like a if not a hundred, a little bit over. >> What is Is that also food or not EBT? >> No, it's not. It's general general merchandise, like shoes, clothes, sippy cups, paper towels. I work here. I work at the self-checkout. >> So, you reviewed video and observed her not paying for the stuff. Okay. What do you guys want done? >> Ask her to >> Okay. >> And trespass. >> Okay. >> And she was not cooperative. She tried to snatch the cart away from me in the vestibule to come out and get her stuff. >> point of sale? >> Yeah, when I stopped her in the vestibule on the exit side, I asked her for her receipt. She gave me this one. I looked at it, glanced at it. I said, "Do you have another one?" She told me no. I said, "Do you want to come Can you come back with me so we can talk about the paid for merchandise?" She told no. I'm trying to bring her back around this way. She got like five, six kids with her, so I'm not trying to, you know, >> Try to make a scene. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> Then when she seen Elmhurst PD, then she was like, "Oh, you want to go over here?" Like, "Yeah, I've been asking you to do that." >> Sure. Okay. >> Then she want to argue with me about paying for it, where you could I could pay for it. I could pay for it. You could, but you didn't. It's not like nobody else run you up. You made this choice. >> Are you going to >> She not coming here. She don't want to She don't want to be in here. She said she didn't have no ID, so I'm like, you know, I hope she giving the right name cuz >> Yeah, we're going to find out. All right. So, obviously you don't want to talk to me. So, we got to hammer out some things. We're waiting on the receipt and that's going to determine what happens with you next. Okay? >> Okay. >> All right. Anything in that purse? >> No. >> Okay. >> What's going to happen? >> I'm going to be in I don't know. >> Oh my gosh. >> Come on, Breanna. >> You're going to put me in the back. >> I don't know. >> You have everything on the cart. >> Okay. All right. Okay. Here, put your phone in your purse really quick. Just put it in there really quick. Put it right here, okay? >> Okay. >> Can you just turn around and put your Put your hands up really quick? >> Oh, wait. You're going to arrest me? >> Yes. Put your hands behind your back. Put your hands behind your back. >> Breanna. You guys want to be rough with >> No, I'm not being rough. >> Don't be rough with me. >> I'm not rough. >> You got my wrist. >> No, lady. I'm not rough. Okay. >> I'm cooperating. >> Thank you. All right. All right. Carlos, do you mind holding that on for me really >> So, what's going on now? >> I'm going to take a look here. >> Why am I in handcuffs? >> Is this all the stuff? Can I uh get it out here, please? Actually, you might take it out to my car. So, this is all the stuff that she didn't pay for. Okay. I'm going to take a picture of this receipt and everything in this cart is everything that she didn't pay for. All right. Cool. All right. Do you guys want prosecution? >> Yes. Yes, we do. >> so, you were alerted by an associate. Hey, you Did you observe any of this or you were called up? >> I walked up, I observed that she had all this stuff up underneath. >> Underneath the cart. So, she had something she had paid for on top in bags. Was this stuff bagged or no? >> No. >> No. Not bagged. >> bagged. So, basically just picture all this stuff on top of here. >> Got it. Makes sense. Okay. So, then you stop her. You ask her for another receipt. She's like, "Nah." She's kind of giving you a hard time. Um ends up seeing Elmer's police. Uh he helps you, Tyran helps you with bringing her in here. She's kind of being uncooperative. Sees Elmer's >> Starts freaking out. >> freaks out a little bit and then you guys call us. >> And then she told her kids to get to some van or something. >> Yeah, there's a van right there. Okay, perfect. That works. I'll be right back. So, Brianna Brianna? You're under arrest, okay? For retail theft. >> Wow. >> Yeah. It's just a little too high, okay? It was like $184 worth of stuff, so a little too high for for a ticket. Okay? We're going to go back to the station as long as you got no other record. You got no record. If you're saying you got no record, then uh you'll be cut loose within an hour. Okay? >> These are still tight. >> I put them real real loose now. >> They're really tight, though. On my wrist. You loosen the wrist part. That's what's tight. >> Tell your boyfriend to come pick you up. All right, cool. Thank you. We're not too far from the station. >> Can I I need to fix my clothes. My my shirt is falling down. >> Here, we're going to have actually he's seeing if a female's going to come in. Has she told you anything or not? >> Um so, what she kept saying What did she say? She's like, "Man, I'll pay for whatever I didn't take. Uh blah blah blah." So >> what she kept saying in front of you and to them. >> Yep. Okay. >> Okay, with you present. >> Yeah. >> Okay, cool. Thank you. >> So, I'll pay for whatever I didn't pay for or something. >> Exactly. Exactly. >> Um the boyfriend was like, "Oh, you trying to like help her a little?" >> Sure. >> It was like, "Oh, you might have done that by accident, right?" She's like, "Yeah, cuz I have all the kids." >> Let me go take a picture of the stuff and the receipts. You mind staying with her until I come back? Thank you, sir. All right, let me take this to the receipt. >> Was that her real name? >> I don't know yet. If it changes, uh let you know. With the with the cards, yeah. Oh, were you? That was you? Nice. Still up in Wisconsin? >> But if with all this real ID stuff, it's so hard to get a >> A new ID? >> appointment just to get a regular ID. >> Yeah. Yeah, okay. She paid for this. Did she come back and get her or how do you guys want to do that? Then her man left already. She paid EBT. >> Yeah, I can't read >> No, that you can't do. As soon as I saw the high dollar amount, yeah, you know what? But she I didn't like her bopping around. I don't want to give her an idea of trying to run, so I put her in handcuffs. I know, but >> She tried to run from me. >> Thanks, guys. Let's all work together. Thanks, guys. Appreciate you guys. Oh, okay, cool. Thank you. Oh, this is the receipt. Should they take Do they take the food back here? No. All right, well, she's calling me. See you. All right. Thanks, uh, thank you. Yeah. What's up? You're going to the PD. You're going to uh, charge one charge, one count of retail theft. >> We're going to keep him away, okay? >> All right. No, we just gave it to your, uh, to your man. >> No. >> You paid for it. >> It was refunded back to the card. >> No, no, no, he just picked it up. >> Oh. >> Yeah, he just picked Yeah, he just picked it up. >> Oh. >> Yeah, he didn't leave yet. So, you don't want to waste that, you know what I mean? You paid for that, you know what I mean? So, and they can't I don't think they can refund EBT. You know what I mean? What the hell's wrong with this thing? There it is. I know, I know, but it's just protocol, you know what I mean, young lady? Hey, see, you feeling good back there? As best as you could? Yeah. All Okay? All right. So, the total for the stuff, I'm just telling you, is uh $171. >> For >> For the stuff that you didn't pay for. All right? So, it's a little bit above the threshold here. Doesn't meet felony, but I do have to check your priors. And uh if you're saying you got none, then then we shouldn't have any issues. Ms. Breanna, so what's going to happen next? Uh we got a female officer coming to the RPD search you, just make sure you got nothing on you, right? A female officer is just going to conduct a uh a a more thorough search. >> Okay. >> Okay? And then uh I'm just going to look over your criminal history. And then you'll get uh I would if nothing else is crazy jumping out at me, then you'll get one misdemeanor count of retail theft. You'll get released on your signature. Well, I'm going to have to fingerprint and uh picture you, take a mugshot picture, and you get released on your signature, okay? With a court date. All right? And you're also trespassed from Walmart. >> Trespassed >> From from this one. You can't go back to this one. >> Okay. >> Okay? >> Okay. >> On the way to the police station, why don't we take a look at one thing in this video? Because [music] there's something here worth talking about. This is EBT. We all know EBT stands for electronic benefit transfer, the card that delivers federal food assistance, what most people still call food stamps. And it comes with a hard line. It covers food for the household, bread, meat, produce, dairy. That's the list. In this case, at that self-checkout, [music] Breanna paid $94 with her EBT card and $5 on a debit card, and all of that went on top of the cart. But the opposite, underneath, that's [music] where the stolen items were. Clothing, shoes, sippy cups, paper towels, fragrance, party supplies. And here's the thing, that's almost exactly the stuff EBT doesn't cover, which makes it pretty hard to call this an accident. So, what do you think about EBT in this case? Is that card really going to the right people? Comment below and let's talk about it. And now, back to Breonna Thomas and let's hear what she gets charged with [music] once she reaches the station. >> All right, Ms. Thomas, give me a second. Thank you, young lady. >> What's the story, officer? >> I can't. You're right, though. Yeah, yeah, yeah. >> I know. I had to say it. >> I'm still waiting for my keys. >> I know. Yeah. We'll address it with Sergeant Siya. Um, we got Ms. Thomas in custody. >> All right. She's being pretty cool, calm, collected with us, so I gave her a heads-up that you're going to be doing your thing. >> Sounds good. Walmart, right? >> Walmart, yeah. Yep. And yeah. >> Can I pull my shirt up? >> Well, this female officer will help you out with that. Sergeant, here. I'm going to get your female partner out of the way. Okay. Cool. Okay, you can walk up the ramp. Thank you. Right this ramp right here. Sir, your man, what's your dude's name? >> Um, do you have your man's name? >> No, but I'm just going to address him. I'll just call him dude. >> Yeah, that's fine. >> [laughter] >> Okay. Your dude has your purse. >> Okay. >> At the end, all behind her smile, Breonna Thomas, 30, was taken into custody and charged with one count of retail theft for $171.53 in merchandise she never scanned. She was released on her own recognizance with a court date in Wheaton, Illinois and permanently trespassed from the store.