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Pair accused of $12k in thefts last week found to be involved in far more, reports said
Additional information was recently released regarding the male and female suspects who, police said, had stolen $12,000 worth of goods from Lululemon in mid-September. New reports, however, stated the two were involved in far more than that single day’s incidents.
Randolph Abdul McCrary, 50, of the 5000 block of Tacoma Street in Philadelphia, and Karimah L. Choice, 45, of the 4400 block of North Cleveland Street, Philadelphia, are facing multiple charges as area police uncovered a series of events that extended well beyond the Sept. 17 theft and vehicular accident that occurred upon their fleeing police, said reports.
As reported by Wissahickon Now on Sept. 20, the duo was, said by police, to have been charged after stealing $12,000 worth of merchandise from the Lululemon retail store located in the Promenade at Upper Dublin. According to reports, the two had stolen a total of $36,244.96 worth of products over the course of three separate theft incidents from the same retailer.
Upper Dublin Township Police Department said that, during an incident on July 10, of this year, they were called to the store just after 11 a.m. to the Lululemon on Market Street in Upper Dublin Township. The store employee described two people, police said, one black male in a navy T-shirt, darks shorts, a bucket hat, and “scruffy” beard, and one black female in a black dress and straw cowboy hat. The female, reports stated, had a tattoo on her left thigh.
Employees in the store told police that the two used “large, black trash bags” to stuff merchandise into, and left without paying, reports said. Police said the two left in an older model blue Lexus hatchback parked near the east side of LaScala’s Fire restaurant nearby. The two, according to police who had viewed surveillance video, left the area, traveling eastbound on Welsh Road.
On Aug. 16, 2024, the UDPD again reported to the Lululemon located in the Promenade at Upper Dublin for a report of another theft around 12:31 p.m., reports said. This time, a store manager described similar people, a black male in a pink-striped polo shirt, and a black female the manager said he’d “recognized from prior thefts,” who wore a black shirt, jeans, and the same straw cowboy hat, as the suspects, said police.
This time, according to reports, the two left around 12:13 p.m. that day, with two large black trash bags of store merchandise, via a tan Chevy Impala sedan which had heavily tinted windows, missing trim to its rear panels, and a trunk that could not shut all the way, which was parked in front of the store. Police said that they were able to see the license plate, and using area camera technology, located the vehicle traveling north on Ogontz, near Shopper’s Lane around 12:48 p.m., and a second time traveling south in the same area.
Police said the duo had backed up to park in the police-designated space in front of the store. They are seen on surveillance tape, reports stated, leaving, with their trash bags of clothing, turning right toward Smash Burger, later making a left turn toward the Dreshertown Road exit.
Store employees told police the value of the merchandise stolen was valued at $15,336 during the Aug. 16 theft, said reports.
Police did not report any confirmed identification nor arrests stemming from the first two events described. The third incident, on Sept. 17, however ended much differently.
According to reports, the police were called to the same Upper Dublin Lululemon around 6:56 p.m. for reports of a black man and black woman, again with black trash bags, attempting to leave the store without paying for merchandise. The two entered a white, Nissan vehicle with temporary registration tags. The man, later identified as McCrary, wore a black shirt and red sweatpants, carrying a bag over his shoulder, while the female, later identified as Choice, was in a tan dress, dragging a bag of contents across the store’s floor.
Choice, police said, dropped the trash bag outside the front of the store. Its contents were 88 items from inside the store, valued at $9,144.86. Police had parked a vehicle behind the Nissan to stop the car from fleeing, police said. However, Choice, who was driving the vehicle, opted to drive up on the sidewalk to escape authorities, reports said, despite the blocking officer drawing his firearm and pointing it at the driver demanding that they stop.
Police said that the Nissan continued north on the sidewalk until the Club Pilates store, then re-entering the parking lot. Police followed, reports said, with lights and sirens on, but as the two fled near Redstone, the police lost sight of the speeding car, and opted to terminate the pursuit due to the heavy congestion of the area, especially with many pedestrians, reports said.
The two then fled in the Nissan, police said, going south on Dreshertown Road at a high rate of speed, said reports. Police, responding to assist in the matter, were traveling in the northbound lane of Dreshertown Road, they said. At that time, reports stated, Choice moved the car into the northbound lane, traveling southward, and struck the police vehicle near Kirks Lane.
While Choice tried to continue on in the vehicle, it soon became disabled, police said, forcing the two to flee on foot, said police. Choice then attempted to carjack a maroon SUV traveling north on Dreshertown by pounding on the windows, reports said. The driver, a male and sole occupant of the SUV, later told police via an interview that Choice was screaming, “Let me in” and “Get out,” as she pounded on his window, said police.
Unsure if the carjacking was successful, another responding unit of the Upper Dublin Township Police Department followed the SUV, pulling it over near the 1600 block of Dreshertown Road, said reports. As the SUV pulled to the side, police said that it “went into a bog,” and almost turned the vehicle onto its side, however the driver told police he was not injured.
Close to the accident, the male ran west in the direction of Kirks Lane, police said, still toting his black trash bag, which was later recovered from the brush near the 1400 block of Kirks Lane, reports stated. The bag was later discovered to have 25 items from the Lululemon store, valued at $2,890.
Horsham Police assisted Upper Dublin in tracking the male, who was later seen in the middle of the road near the 1300 block of Harris Lane. Identified by his driver’s license, police said McCrary also had on his body a red cigar packet, which contained a crack pipe. He admitted to being involved in the day’s theft, as well as the one on July 10 and the second on Aug. 16, police said.
When Choice could not carjack the SUV, she attempted to run toward another police vehicle, said reports. Police turned to the rear of the vehicle to intercept the woman, but she instead pulled on the police car’s passenger handle in order to enter the vehicle, reports noted. The same officer attempted to pull Choice from the car handle, to place her under arrest, police said, however she resisted pulling her arms forward as they attempted to bring them behind her back.
The officer, facing Choice alone, pulled her to the ground with a spin, and she continued to resist, pulling at the policeman’s radio, making it impossible for him to call for backup, said reports. The officer pulled his taser, threatening to use it and arching it for her to hear, said reports, which allowed a second officer to assist and cuff Choice. She was placed into the rear of a police vehicle, sweating from the struggle, police said.
Because the back air conditioning was not working, arresting officers agreed to open windows to provide Choice with fresh air, said reports. While awaiting emergency medical crews to look her over, Choice was able to reach outside the car, opening the doors from the outside, and attempted to flee again. Another officer tackled Choice, landing on his knee causing injuries which included pain, swelling, and a scrape to his kneecap, reports stated. Police were able to then place Choice back into cuffs and back into the rear of a department vehicle, said reports.
All told, the three incidents resulted in a theft of $36,244.96 worth of Lululemon merchandise, all stolen by the same two suspects, all via large black trash bags, police said.
Choice is being held in County Jail, unable to post a $99,000 monetary bond. She is due to face a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Douglas H. Lavenberg on Oct. 4 at 11:30 a.m. She faces charges of recklessly endangering another person, vandalism, receiving stolen property, retail theft, organized retail theft, evading arrest, escape, conspiracy to commit retail theft, conspiracy to retrieve stolen property, conspiracy of robbery, driving an unregistered vehicle, driving while license is suspended or revoked, reckless driving, failing to keep right, passing left in an unsafe manner, fleeing or attempting to elude officers, and an accident involving damage to an attended vehicle, totaling 10 felonies, three misdemeanors, and five summary offenses.
McCrary is also held in County Jail, unable to post a $50,000 monetary bond. He faces charges of organized retail theft, three retail theft via taking merchandise charges, as well as three counts of conspiracy to conduct retail theft, three counts of receiving stolen property, three counts of conspiracy to receive stolen property, evading arrest, and use or possession of drug paraphernalia. McCrary is to face a preliminary hearing on Oct. 4 at 11:30 a.m., also before Magisterial Judge Douglas H. Lavenberg.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
