Couple Charged with Stealing Almost $5,000 from Abercrombie & Fitch, Assaulting Security

A couple from Lawrence face numerous charges after police say they conspired to steal 55 items from Abercrombie & Fitch at the Solomon Pond Mall, then assaulted security officers who tried to stop them from fleeing.

The resulting melee was reported to police at 3:45 p.m. Sunday, and played out in front of numerous shoppers at the mall.

Marlborough Police arrested Raquel I. Amaro, 23, of 17 Holt St., Apt. 1, Lawrence, on charges of larceny over $250, resisting arrest, two counts of assault and battery, disorderly conduct and vandalizing property. Police arrested Justin Jimenez, 22, of the same address, on charges of larceny over $250, disorderly conduct, two counts of assault and battery and two counts of vandalizing property.

According to a police statement filed in Marlborough District Court, the couple was accompanied by an older woman, who was not identified by police. While the women distracted store employees at the Abercrombie & Fitch retail shop, Jimenez stuffed a large number of items, including fragrances and clothing, into a Nike bag, the police statement said.

The activity was observed by loss prevention employees working at the shop. The store employees called mall security, who waited outside the store. When the trio passed by, the security officer identified themselves and according to police, the following transpired:

Jimenez dropped the Nike bag and attacked the loss prevention officers with his fists and elbows. He then attempted to flee in the mall, running toward Brookstone, and the security employees attempted to chase him. During the struggle, they fell through an electronic display at Brookstone, valued at $500, destroying it, police wrote.

While this was happening, Jimenez then struck the officers with his elbows. Amaro and the unidentified woman joined in on the assault, police said, punching both the security officers in an attempt to free Jimenez. One of the security officers sustained a laceration to the forehead, and crushed eye glasses.

"The trio caused a huge disturbance during a busy Sunday full of children and shoppers witnessing their antics," police wrote, in the statement.

In all, 55 items were recovered from the Nike bag, police said, worth about $4,792.

At arraignment Monday before District Judge Martine Carroll, Amaro was released on $1,000 cash bail, while Jimenez was released on $500 cash bail.