Thomas Lynd III, 37, of Gustine faces a number of charges after he was arrested Saturday evening by Ceres Police allegedly while leaving Walmart with stolen items.

At 7:13 p.m. Officer Mathew Myers was on patrol in the 1600 block of Mitchell Road when he saw a man running across the road away from Walmart while carrying a black bag. The officer was suspicious because the man appeared to trying to leave in a hurry and was nearly hit by several cars. The man failed to stop to emergency lights and spotlight and fled near the Mitchell Road and Alphonse Drive, running into a front yard and into a driveway where he dropped the bag behind parked cars. Officer Myers ordered the man to the ground at gunpoint. 

Police located the black bag which contained stolen merchandise from Walmart and confirmed that Lynd had just committed a theft and was being chased by store security. Officers also found a loaded Taurus .38 revolver under a parked truck which Lynd ran around. Officers searched Lynd’s vehicle and found two spend .38 shell casings along mail addressed to Lynd.

A records check revealed that Lynd is prohibited from owning weapons due to his mental health status. Police additionally found Lynd was carrying a set of metal knuckles and a small amount of methamphetamine in his bellybutton.

Lynd was booked into the Public Safety Center for possession of a controlled substance, possession of a dangerous weapon (brass knuckles), possession of a loaded hand gun, being prohibited to be in possession of a handgun, shoplifting, and resisting and obstructing an officer.