Man accused of stealing over $30K worth of baby formula

CALIFORNIA - A man is being accused of stealing $33,000 worth of baby formula in California.

Surveillance video from inside a Target location in Auburn, California allegedly captured Dylan Norman Lovitt, 30, in the middle of a large theft.  Sheriff's detectives say he is a suspected member of an organized retail theft crime ring that has been hitting stores around Northern California.

On November 14, a Target employee called the sheriff's office, reporting a high-dollar value theft going on in the store. 

"He walked into the baby formula aisle, and immediately began stuffing that box with numerous containers of baby formula,"  Angela Musallam of the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said.

When deputies responded and tried to stop him, he led deputies on a short car chase on I-80 before being captured.

Get breaking news alerts in the free FOX5NY News app!  |  Sign up for FOX 5 email newsletters

"It appears that this suspect knows what he’s doing. He’s engaged in this type of activity before, and he actually stole nearly $850 worth of baby formula from that specific Target here in Auburn on Bell Road," Musallam said.

"Last weekend, the security team at the Auburn Target store observed a man shoplifting baby products and immediately called the Placer County Sheriff's Office," Target told FOX 40 in a statement. "We also had evidence of many different shoplifting incidents with this same individual, and turned the information over to law enforcement."

Lovitt is now facing charges of organized retail theft, failure to yield, and resisting a peace officer.