Mall theft caught on tape

PINEVILLE, N.C. -- One suspect is behind bars and another is on the run after stealing more than $10,000 worth of clothing from Carolina Place Mall. Investigators say the two could be connected to other crimes in separate states.

Imagine this: two suspects go running from the mall with bags of stolen clothes. A witness told me the suspects ran into a mini van, stashed their bags, and then calmly walked back into the mall as if nothing had happened.

Surveillance video shows the two suspects running through the parking to their mini-van.

"The guy was literally running I mean he was getting it across the parking lot," said Chrystal Helms, witness.

Helms says she was shocked to see what looked like a thief making an escape, but she couldn't believe what he did next.

"He jumped in the van changed clothes and decided to go into Sears like nobody had even seen him," she said.

That's right, the suspect and his female partner walked back into the mall, not knowing police were already on the way. In their van, officers found more than $10,000 worth of stolen clothing.

They also found professional equipment. Bags lined with aluminum foil were used to sneak the clothing out of the stores.

"Basically it's designed to throw off the anti-theft device when you walk out of the door," said Sergeant S.C. Copley with the Pineville Police Department.

Mario Lopez, 23, was arrested inside the mall, but his female partner was able to escape and police need your help identifying her. Investigators say the two may have hit another clothing store in Gastonia that same day.

Anyone with any information about the identity or whereabouts of this female suspect is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.

"They may or may not be connected to other cases throughout North or South Carolina," explained Copley.

If you have any information about the identity of whereabouts of the female suspect you are asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. Meanwhile police say they were able to return much of the stolen merchandise. But the fact that the suspects mini-van was a rental from New York and contained a map of the entire East Coast leads investigators to believe there could be other victims.