A woman was caught attempting to steal several toys from a Coppel department store in Chimalhuacán, State of Mexico, but her plan was foiled by store employees. According to Carlos Jiménez, journalist and host of the program C4 en Alerta, the stolen items were valued at around 2,000 Mexican pesos.

A video shared online shows the moment employees surrounded the woman and asked her to hand over the merchandise she was hiding under her clothes. One security guard is heard saying, “Check her dress carefully, look at everything she’s carrying… Get me a patrol car… Who are you with?”

As the footage unfolds, the woman begins pulling various toys from her clothing while workers collect the items falling to the floor. This incident happened in full view of several customers inside the store.

The employees also warned that they would call the police to handle the situation. However, according to C4 en Alerta, local police never arrived at the scene, and no arrest was made.

Understanding Theft Penalties in Mexico City
Mexican law defines theft as complete the moment the thief has possession of an item that does not belong to them, even if they later abandon it, according to Article 369 of the Federal Code. The value of stolen goods and fines are calculated based on the salary at the time of the crime (Article 369 Bis).

Penalties for theft can range up to two years in prison if the stolen goods are valued at less than 100 times the daily salary. If the value exceeds 500 times the salary, sentences can reach up to 10 years (Article 370). Fines vary between 100 and 500 times the salary.

If violence is involved, penalties increase to between six months and five years in prison (Article 372). Additional crimes committed during the theft may lead to cumulative sentences.

This case highlights ongoing challenges in retail security and law enforcement response in the State of Mexico. For communities relying on accessible and safe public spaces, such incidents underscore the importance of effective policing and social policies that address underlying causes of theft.