Serial Gloucester Township Target Thief Charged After Chase: Cops

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A Winslow Township man who repeatedly robbed the Gloucester Township Target store was arrested in the process of another attempted shoplifting on Monday, police said.

Robert E. Joyner III had previously been banned from the Gloucester Township Target for his role in 15 shoplifting incidents that took place since December, Gloucester Township police said on Tuesday. The combined loss to the store was greater than $22,600, according to police.

At 1:09 p.m. on Monday, Target reported another shoplifting in progress involving Joyner, police said. Joyner was leaving Target and walking toward Lowe’s, carrying a black backpack, police said.

An arriving Gloucester Township police officer attempted to make contact with Joyner, who immediately began to run away, police said. The officer grabbed the backpack from Joyner, but fell to the ground in the process.

The backpack contained more than $500 worth of stolen electronic items, police said. The officer recovered and began to chase after Joyner, who ignored the officer’s repeated commands to stop, police said.

At that point, a Gloucester Township Retail Theft Detective who was working an off-duty employment assignment saw what was going on, recognized Joyner and joined the chase, police said.

Joyner ran onto Berlin-Cross Keys Road, putting the officers and drivers in the area in danger, police said. The two officers managed to tackle Joyner as he attempted to run across the street, police said.

The officers sustained minor injuries, police said. Joyner was found to be in possession of 12 bags of heroin, police said.

Joyner was charged with fourth-degree resisting by flight, third-degree possession of CDS, and criminal trespass. He was medically clear for incarceration and remanded to Camden County Correctional Facility in accordance with New Jersey Bail Reform.

“This serves as another example of how the Gloucester Township Police Department is actively reducing overall crime by 12.26% and violent crime by 15.63% in 2020,” police said in a statement. “The Gloucester Township Police Department will continue their pro-active, plainclothes, and traffic operations near our retail establishments with new and innovative police strategies and local partnerships with Retail Loss Prevention to curtail this type of activity.”