A man in Phoenix stole a set of car keys from the break room of a Safeway grocery store, but decided to do one thing that incriminated himself immediately. On July 22, police arrested 31-year-old Blake Alexander Hauff in Tucson for allegedly stealing a Chevrolet Suburban and later setting the vehicle. But officers might not have caught him if he didn’t identify himself at the Safeway checkout counter.
Phoenix man incriminated himself after stealing car keys
Store surveillance footage reveals that Hauff was wandering the aisles of a Safeway on July 12 when he walked into the break room and swiped a set of car keys from an employee’s purse to a Chevrolet SUV, according to court documents found by Fox 10 Phoenix.
But before he stole the vehicle, Hauff decided to purchase an item at the register. Retail thieves, like one woman who tired to steal vodka and bacon in her shoulder bag, sometimes use the tactic of purchasing an unrelated item to appear like a normal customer. Though Hauff could have left with the item with nobody none the wiser, he revealed his identity when he entered his personal loyalty rewards phone number during the transaction. That instantly gave away who he was to store management as he strolled out of the store, stole the car, and drove off.
The following morning on July 13, Phoenix police officers responded to a call about a vehicle fire and discovered that the car was the same Suburban but in flames and heavily damaged. They recovered a red gas canister nearby and spotted fabric coming out of the fuel tank compartment.
Surveillance footage from a neighbor in the area revealed a man matching Hauff’s physical description and distinct outfit, which he wore at Safeway (in yet another blunder), walking away from the scene and being picked up.
After being taken into custody and presented with the evidence, Hauff admitted to stealing the car but told a different story about the arson. He said that masked strangers with guns had stolen it from him after he parked and that they were the ones responsible for setting the vehicle on fire. When detectives showed him the surveillance footage of him walking away from the SUV in flames, he requested an attorney and ended the interview.
Hauff has been charged with one count of felony arson and could face an additional charge of theft from the Apache Junction Police Department.
