REDDING: Bike-riding thief attempting to steal cash register tackled, detained by witnesses

REDDING — A man who tried to steal an entire cash register and ride away with it on his bicycle was tackled and detained by employees and witnesses from the nail salon where the alleged suspect stole the register from. The Monday, Sept. 18, incident happened at Tammy’s Nails on the 2000 block of Churn Creek Road, north of Hartnell Avenue, in Redding.

After an investigation, officers arrested Joshua Hagar, 35, of Redding. He was booked into Shasta County Jail in Redding on suspicion of robbery, terrorist threats and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Redding police officers were dispatched to the nail salon about 3:20 p.m., after SHASCOM received a 911 call reporting a possible robbery that had just occurred.

When officers arrived, they found several citizens on top of Hagar, detaining him on the ground. A bicycle and damaged cash register were nearby.

During their investigation, officers learned Hagar had entered the nail salon and snatched an entire cash register that was sitting on a counter. As he began to flee from the salon – with cash register in hand – several women, all employees of the nail salon, chased the brazen thief out the door of the business.

Once outside, Hagar threatened to shoot employees and witnesses, telling them he had a firearm in his possession. “Hagar specifically threatened to shoot a nearby witness,” Redding Police Sergeant Chris Smyrnos explained in a written press release.

When he realized the women were not going to back down, Hagar dropped and abandoned the stolen cash register and attempted to flee from the area on a bicycle.

“Hagar was tackled to the ground by other bystanders and was detained until police officers arrived on scene,” said Smyrnos.

In spite of his threat to shoot the victims and witnesses, officers did not find a firearm in Hagar’s possession at the time of his arrest; however, they located narcotics-related paraphernalia.

Anyone with additional information about this incident or who witnessed the attempted theft is encouraged to contact Redding Police Department at (530) 225-4200. Callers can refer to incident file number 17-69059 and can remain anonymous.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.