A routine shoplifting attempt outside a Mobile-area grocery store turned into a tense armed standoff, and ultimately gunfire, after a man accused of stealing steaks pulled a gun on a loss prevention officer trying to stop him.
According to the Mobile Police Department, 60-year-old Donnie James Moore shoplifted several steaks from a Rouses Supermarket on Theodore Dawes Road shortly before officers arrived around 12:20 p.m. on a Friday afternoon. When a store loss prevention officer confronted him, Moore reportedly pushed past the employee and made his way toward his car in the parking lot.
Bystander Opens Fire
Once at his vehicle, police say Moore retrieved a firearm and pointed it at the loss prevention officer, who responded by drawing his own weapon and aiming it back at Moore. As the standoff unfolded, a bystander sitting in a nearby car became involved, pulling out his own gun and pointing it at Moore before either of the other two men had decided whether to fire.
That bystander then fired multiple shots at Moore’s car. Moore, uninjured, jumped into his vehicle and sped away from the parking lot. Officers located him a short time later nearby, where he was attempting to change one of his car’s tires, which had apparently been damaged during the shooting.
Police said the bystander who fired the shots would not face charges, characterizing his actions as defense of another person. A police spokesman said that when someone witnesses a situation where deadly force appears imminent, they have the legal right to intervene to protect another person.
Moore was arrested and charged with first-degree robbery, a more serious charge than simple shoplifting because he used force, in the form of pulling a gun, during the theft. According to Mobile County Metro Jail records, Moore has a lengthy arrest history dating back to 1987, including previous charges for robbery, theft and burglary.
The incident highlights how quickly routine retail theft calls can escalate when weapons are introduced, and it left the Theodore-area shopping center on edge during a busy Friday afternoon before order was restored and Moore was taken into custody.