With the help of the Agana Shopping Center personnel, the Guam Police Department has arrested the suspect in a retail theft case that occurred at around 2:50 p.m. on Tuesday.
Authorities identified the suspect as Avery James Sablan Atoigue, 18, in a release on July 29.
Police reported that “Atoigue entered a store in the Agana Shopping Center, broke a glass show case, and stole multiple cell phones valued at over $6,000. The value of the damaged show case was $1,000.”
Alyssa Borja, general manager of Time Circle in Hagatna recalled the incident telling Guam News Network at first she was shocked.
“There was like a loud bang with glass breaking so I looked to my co-worker and we looked outside and there was a man that hit one of our display cases and at first we didn’t approach him because we saw that he had a hammer,” Borja said.
“But when he started to take the contents of the display case that’s when we started shouting at him or yelling at him. He fled ... we didn’t try to stop him but we did try to run after him and alert the people outside,” Borja said.
She said in that moment she was scared for the safety of the people in the area.
“We called the security and from there he tried to leave the vicinity also and they tried to chase him down. ... After that I called 911 and my dad,” Borja said.
Time Circle has been operating for 15 years and this was the first time an incident like this has occurred.
“I try to stay vigilant ... we cannot control ... something that doesn’t happen everyday,” Borja said.
Police reported that Atoigue was later apprehended in the parking lot of Cost U Less in Agana and the stolen items “relinquished to the store owner.”
Borja said the suspect was caught by Agana Shopping Center’s “maintenance guy and security team.”
Police confirmed Atoigue was arrested on retail theft and Criminal mischief offenses and is in the custody of the Department of Corrections. His case has been forwarded to the Attorney General for disposition.