A Des Moines man was arrested Friday after allegedly stealing more than $100 worth of goods from a West Des Moines retail store and then resisting arrest.
Baraka James Harris, 21, of 1200 University Ave., Des Moines, was charge with fourth-degree theft and interference with official acts.
The incident began about 5 p.m. Friday at a retail store in the 6500 block of Mills Civic Parkway, where offices of the West Des Moines Police Department responded to a report of shoplifting.
The officers made contact with store staff members, who told the officers they allegedly saw Harris “entering a fitting room with a cart full of items” and shortly afterward leaving the fitting room and exiting the store “with a backpack that appeared to have items concealed within,” according to court records.
The officers made contact with Harris after he left the store, but he allegedly “did not cooperate” but “attempted to run from law enforcement, forcing them to go hands on with him,” according to court records. Harris “was taken to the ground and resisted going into handcuffs for a short period of time.”
A search of the backpack disclosed “$110 worth of unpaid merchandise,” according to court records. Harris is also a suspect in “a theft of $430 worth of merchandise on Jan. 20 from the same” retail store.
Harris is held in the Dallas County Jail on a $1,000 cash or surety bond He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Feb. 18 in Dallas County District Court.
Harris was convicted of fifth-degree theft in 2024 in Polk County District Court.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
