Small business owners face challenges on a routine basis. Thanks to security measures, merchandise theft can be harder for store-goers to get away with. Yet unfortunately, even with working cameras, thieves can sometimes manage to leave the store with stolen goods, without ever being detected. Brandy Romero, who co-owns The Squeeze in Orange, California, knows this all too well.
On September 24th, around 5:30 PM, two women entered her store with multiple young children. They succeeded in stuffing five dresses underneath their skirts, then walked out with the unpaid store merch. It wasn’t until later that the women were caught stealing by the owners, on the security footage. By then, theft prevention was out of the question, but the shoplifters were far from getting away with their criminal act.
Brandy decided to utilize TikTok to ask for the public’s assistance in identifying both these women. She also had a message for those who committed the theft:
To the women responsible: you can run, but you can’t hide! Our community is watching, and we will find you!
The video clip Brandy shared shows extreme close-ups of both female thieves. It also contains clearcut footage of one of these women mid-crime.
Viewers have offered condolences, as well as some possible tips. One person even stated that they (possibly) hang out at the Starbucks on North Tustin Street, in Orange, California.
Brandy let the public know that she’d filed a police report. She also asked viewers to send any tips through direct message on TikTok. She hopes to set the precedent for others considering theft, by catching and then prosecuting the thieves to the fullest extent California laws allow.
“You are not going to steal from us!” she typed in the video captions.
Let’s hope she gets due justice, and also that the dresses find their way back to the store.
