Watch LAPD Officer Take Down Suspect in Wild Store Chase

While conducting extra patrols at a Sun Valley Kohl's because of theft reports, LAPD officers confronted a persistent 49-year-old suspect who led police on a crazy foot pursuit through the store.

Joe Vince

Sept. 17, 2025

What to know

LAPD officers arrested a suspect after two attempts to elude police during a theft investigation at a Sun Valley Kohl’s.
The suspect suffered a head injury during a foot chase, and he was hospitalized twice before being booked.
He was charged with three counts of grand theft, one attempted grand theft and two counts of resisting arrest.

An accused thief was arrested last month after leading LAPD officers on a frantic chase through a store before trying to escape custody a second time.

The incident happened Aug. 1 when police were conducting extra patrols at a Kohl's in Sun Valley because of theft reports, KABC-TV reports. A 49-year-old suspect—later identified as Gregory Pekarek—was seen kneeling in an aisle with several pairs of jeans, and when officers approached him, Pekarek tried to flee.

A brief foot pursuit through the store ended with Pekarek being brought to the ground and hitting his head on a clothing rack. Pekarek suffered a cut above his eye, and he was taken to a hospital for treatment.

At the medical facility, Pekarek made another attempt at escaping police custody. The second try was as successful as the first, and both were captured by officers' body cameras.

Pekarek was charged with three counts of grand theft, a count of attempted grand theft and two counts of resisting arrest.

About the Author

Joe Vince

Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.