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Niles police officers respond to Black Friday incidents

By Staff report

Updated November 28, 2023 2:14 PM

Niles police officers were busy answering various calls to businesses as some shoppers crossed the line of the law on Black Friday.

At 6:52 a.m. Friday, police were called to Boscov’s in the Eastwood Mall to investigate a shoplifting incident. Store security told police that a group of people were walking around the big department store together and then split up with a couple loading their cart with various items, totaling some $1,600, and leaving the store without paying.

The couple was spotted putting the items in the trunk of a van. The couple then re-entered the store and began re-loading the cart with more items, with the man leaving without paying again.

The couple, only identified in the police report as Jane and John Doe, with age in the 40s, were taken to jail, while the couple’s child was given into the custody of another adult at the parents’ request, the report stated.

Police respond to Eastwood Mall after shoving report

A second Niles police report at the mall indicated that officers were dispatched about 7 a.m. to talk to a 22-year-old Niles woman who said an older woman with white and gray hair shoved her while she got back into line for Black Friday shopping at an unidentified store.

The Niles woman told police that she and her cousin came back into line after sleeping in their car, and the older female did not like that they “cut” the line”. While the two were speaking to the mall manager, the older woman put her chest against the Niles woman and pushed her backwards. Officers were unable to locate the older woman because there was a large crowd, the report stated.

Criminal damaging report at Burger King

At 2:15 p.m., Niles police were dispatched to Burger King, located on the northwest side of the mall complex, to investigate a report of criminal damaging in the parking lot.

Officers spoke to both parties involved and the owner of a gray 2011 Ford F250 truck stated that a female was getting into the rear left side door of her vehicle, identified as a 2007 Pontiac G6, when she began to purposely hit the right rear wheel of the truck multiple times with the left rear door of the Pontiac. The truck was struck so hard that it was shaking, the truck’s owner told police.

The driver of the Pontiac told police that the door struck the truck because someone from the truck, identified as an 18-year-old Edinburg , Pa., woman, came over and punched her in the arm causing the door to swing open.

Police advised both parties about filing charges and left the scene without any arrests being made, the report stated.

Reported attempted break-in at Niles Sports Cards and Collectibles investigated

At 10:22 a.m., Niles police were dispatched to Niles Sports Cards and Collectibles shop at 435 Robbins Ave., to investigate an attempted break-in at the business. Officers spoke to the business owner who said he arrived at the store and found pry marks on the front and side doors that day, but no entry was gained.

The store had previously been the site of numerous break-ins and robberies in recent years.

Theft report investigated at Speedway

After 9 p.m., Niles police arrested a 28-year-old woman who was accused of stealing a pint of ice cream from the Speedway at 120 Vienna Avenue. The store clerk told police the female was observed to be concealing the ice creams, and perhaps other items, in a large purse. When confronted, the woman cursed at the clerk and left the store. When officers located the woman in a Chrysler in the Speedway parking lot, the woman admitted to taking the ice cream, the report stated. The woman, identified as Kayla Boyd, 28, of Seneca Street, was taken into custody because she had an active warrant out of Geauga County, the report stated.