Court docs: Suspected Muncie shoplifter caught after pursuit on pink bicycle

MUNCIE, Ind. – Muncie police caught a suspected Target shoplifter after a decidedly low-speed chase involving a pink bicycle.

According to court documents, a Muncie officer was dispatched to Target, 3601 N. Barr St., around 1:30 p.m. on Friday, April 12, in response to a reported shoplifting incident. A man had stolen merchandise from the store before taking off on a pink bicycle.

The officer spotted the bike at a gas station near the intersection of N. Granville and E. McGalliard. The rider was wearing the same clothes as described in the shoplifting report: black sweatpants and a gray-and-black hoodie.

The bike rider was holding a plastic Target bag, the officer noted, as he turned around and activated his lights and sirens. But the rider—later identified as 22-year-old Joshua W. Taylor—continued peddling east on McGalliard.

The officer pursued Taylor through the parking lot of a nearby business and onto E. Dartmouth Street.

“We were approximately traveling at a speed of 5-10 mph at all times,” according to the officer’s account.

Taylor headed north through some yards and onto E. Andover St., where another officer detained him in a vacant lot. A check with dispatch showed Taylor was wanted on a warrant out of Muncie City Court.

Police retrieved the stolen Target merchandise and returned it to the store. The items were valued at $275.43 after tax, according to court documents.

Taylor was booked into the Delaware County Jail on preliminary charges of theft, resisting law enforcement and criminal trespass.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 59.