A routine shoplifting call at a Phoenix home improvement store earlier this month ended with officers arresting a 20-year-old man now identified as a suspect in a Utah homicide, according to court paperwork and police reports. Investigators say he assaulted both a store worker and a Phoenix police officer during the takedown, and he is currently locked up on a $1 million cash-only bond.
Lowe’s shoplifting call turns violent
Court records show officers were dispatched on May 2 to a Lowe’s near Interstate 17 and Thunderbird Road after workers reported a shoplifter. The suspect, identified in the paperwork as 20-year-old Adam Velasquez, is accused of stealing a bottle of Gatorade, then kneeing a Lowe’s employee when confronted and fighting officers who tried to arrest him.
According to court filings, a Phoenix officer responded by striking Velasquez four times with closed fists to the left cheek to get him under control, as reported by ABC15.
Linked to Ogden homicide investigation
After the arrest, Ogden authorities connected Velasquez to a homicide in their city on September 21, 2024. Local coverage reports that Ogden City Police activated the Weber County Homicide Task Force following that fatal shooting and urged anyone with information to contact Weber Dispatch at 801-395-8221, according to Gephardt Daily.
Court records, Nevada tie and $1 million bond
Court paperwork reviewed by ABC15 states that Velasquez was listed as “presently on probation, parole or any other form of release” in connection with a Nevada homicide case. Investigators noted that a Nevada body-worn camera recording was used to help confirm his identity…