Florida Woman Steals from Target, Police Use TikTok to Identify Her

Marlena Velez’s mugshot. Photo by Cape Coral Police Department, Facebook

Be careful what you post online; it may just lead to your arrest. In a press release dated November 21, Cape Coral police reported about an incident in which they used social media to arrest a suspect who had committed theft. The original incident happened at a Target on Pine Island Road on October 30, but it was not reported until November 20. 

Target stated that an unidentified woman went shopping the day before Halloween and used a self-checkout register. However, she proceeded to scan false barcodes with cheaper prices instead of each item’s correct barcode. 

She did this for a total of 16 items, including “miscellaneous household items and clothing”. The value of the stolen items, as verified through Target's security cameras, was $500.32. 

Police posted photos of the woman from the security footage and described her as being “approximately 20-35 years old”, having “long black hair”, and “wearing a tan shirt, tan pants, and glasses”. In response, they got an anonymous tip that the suspect may be 22-year-old Marlena Velez. Her Instagram handle was also provided in the tip. 

Police later found Velez’ TikTok account, which had around 300,000 followers and featured a video of her getting ready on October 30 and wearing the same outfit and glasses as the woman in the security footage. This TikTok video also shows her going to Target, buying the same items that were stolen, and loading them into her car. 

In a video posted to the Cape Coral Police Department’s official Facebook page, a spokesperson commented that “everything was documented, even the outfit that she wore”. The video also shows clips from Velez’s TikTok video. Click here to view it.

Velez was ultimately arrested, charged with one count of petit theft of more than $100 but less than $750, and taken to Lee County Jail.
​
Article by Ema Tibbetts