CAMARILLO, Calif. — Advanced automated tracking technology and real-time coordination between retail loss prevention personnel and patrol deputies led to the capture of a suspected serial shoplifter targeting retail stores across Ventura County, law enforcement officials announced.
The property crime investigation was conducted by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office Camarillo Patrol Services unit in coordination with the Sheriff’s Advanced Real-Time Information Center (ARTIC) and Target Loss Prevention staff.
Authorities identified the suspect as 23-year-old Abelardo Tapia, a resident of Oxnard.
Tapia was taken into custody on Wednesday evening, September 2, 2026, outside a commercial shopping center in Camarillo under official sheriff's report numbers 26-115097 and 26-115310.
Fraudulent "Price Swapping" Scheme and LEGO Theft Ring
According to an official media advisory released by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation began at approximately 12:00 p.m. on September 2, when Camarillo Patrol deputies responded to a theft report at the Target store located at 209 West Ventura Boulevard in Camarillo.
Target Loss Prevention personnel informed responding deputies that a male suspect had committed a retail theft at the location the previous day.
Investigators learned the suspect executed a fraudulent "price swapping" scheme by removing a low-value barcode tag from cat food merchandise and adhering it over the price tag of a high-value LEGO toy set. The suspect then scanned the altered item at a self-checkout register, paying a fraction of the actual retail cost before exiting the store.
Loss prevention agents advised that the same suspect had engaged in similar price-tag tampering and direct concealment thefts at multiple Target locations across Ventura County over the preceding months, accumulating over $1,100 in stolen merchandise value. In several instances, the suspect concealed items inside store bags or personal belongings and bypassed all points of sale without paying.
Deputies worked with store security and the Sheriff’s Office Advanced Real-Time Information Center (ARTIC) to analyze surveillance video and identify the license plate of the suspect’s getaway vehicle.
ALPR Alert, Real-Time Interception, and Stolen Property Recovery
At approximately 7:00 p.m. that same evening, a proactive Camarillo Patrol deputy received an automated notification from a local Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system indicating that the suspect’s registered vehicle had re-entered the shopping complex at 209 West Ventura Boulevard.
The deputy located the unoccupied suspect vehicle parked in the Target parking lot and immediately alerted store loss prevention officers.
Target Loss Prevention staff confirmed that the suspect was actively inside the retail store committing another theft. Security personnel observed the suspect swapping merchandise tags using cat food labels, concealing personal care items inside a purse taken off a store display, and completing a fraudulent transaction at a self-checkout terminal.
Camarillo Patrol deputies positioned themselves outside the store exit and intercepted Tapia as he walked to his vehicle in the parking lot.
Upon contacting Tapia, officers positively identified him as the suspect responsible for the multi-city retail thefts.
A search of Tapia's person and vehicle yielded stolen personal care products, pregnancy prevention pills, and previously stolen LEGO sets from earlier retail incidents. Deputies seized the merchandise and returned all items directly to Target Loss Prevention.
"Deputies worked with Target Loss Prevention to determine the suspect was responsible for committing multiple thefts at various Target stores in Ventura County over the last few months... The suspect committed the theft by fraudulently placing a low value 'cat food' merchandise price tag on a higher priced LEGO item, then used a self-checkout to make the fraudulent purchase," the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office detailed in a public advisory prepared by Sergeant Beau Rodriguez.
"On September 2, 2026, at approximately 1900 hours, a pro-active Camarillo Patrol deputy received an ALPR alert that the suspect vehicle returned to the Camarillo Target shopping center area... Deputies contacted Abelardo Tapia in the parking lot and he was positively identified," public safety officials added.
Booking Status, Charges, and Law Enforcement Contact
During his arrest processing, deputies discovered that Tapia also had an outstanding local misdemeanor arrest warrant stemming from prior traffic violations.
Tapia was transported to the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility in Ventura, where he was formally booked on multiple charges:
- Multiple Counts of PC 459.5: Shoplifting (Misdemeanor/Felony)
- Misdemeanor Traffic Arrest Warrant
Judicial records confirm that Tapia remains incarcerated in county custody with bail set at $10,300 pending his initial court appearances in Ventura County Superior Court. Sheriff's officials noted that no booking photograph of Tapia has been released for public distribution.
Retail theft investigators continue to work with regional loss prevention teams to evaluate whether Tapia is connected to similar price-altering property crimes across surrounding municipalities.
Members of the public with additional information regarding this case or related retail theft incidents are encouraged to contact lead Detective Jordan Rojales at (805) 947-8326 or Detective Jeffrey Collins at (805) 947-8252.
Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Ventura County Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477), where information leading to an arrest and criminal complaint may qualify for a cash reward of up to $1,000. Official advisories can be accessed on the Ventura County Sheriff's Office Official Nixle Portal.