Man Caught on Video Tampering With Bottled Water in California Grocery Store

Man Caught on Video Tampering With Bottled Water in California Grocery Store
Police have released surveillance video of a man accused of tampering with bottled water at a Mission Viejo grocery store on June 17, 2019. (Orange County Sheriff's Office)
Tom Ozimek
6/21/2019
Updated:
6/21/2019

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) is looking for a man who was caught on a grocery store’s surveillance cameras appearing to tamper with bottles of water.

The disturbing incident took place on Monday, June 17, at a Mission Viejo grocery store, at around 2:30 p.m., police said in a statement posted on Facebook.

The suspect, wearing a bright orange shirt, is seen in the video looking around furtively before taking bottles of water off the shelves and removing the lids.

The footage does not show the man putting anything into the water bottles, but the water has been taken off the shelves as a precaution, police said.

OCSD said, “all water bottles that appeared to be tampered with were removed from the store shelves and several were collected as evidence to determine if the water was contaminated.”

Police have described the suspect as a bearded man in his late 20’s to early 30’s, approximately 5’10'' in height, and weighing around 185 lbs. Authorities added that he left the scene in a white SUV.

As a precautionary note, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department advised people to be on their guard for signs of product tampering.

“Carefully examine all food product packaging. Don’t purchase products if the packaging is open, torn, or damaged. Never consume food from products that are damaged or look unusual. If you suspect product tampering at a store, contact the store manager. Once you get a commercial food product home, report suspected tampering to your local police department,” said police.

The OCSD post on Facebook garnered numerous reactions from the community.

One commenter noted, “he looked like he was trying to rush what he was doing while looking discreet too.”

Another said, “so frustrating to be watching our backs every minute.”

Someone else asked, “Why wasn’t anybody watching the security cameras and stop him right away?”

Gaming Addict Tries to Poison Water Supply After Family Pulls Plug On Internet

The incident recalls the case of a 29-year-old video game addict, who allegedly tried to poison his family’s water supply in Thailand after they pulled the plug on a noisy late-night gaming session.
According to CH3 Thailand, the man, identified as Sak Duanjan, returned drunk to his home in Sisaket in northeast Thailand and immediately started playing an online game on his cellphone loudly on the night of June 12.

His stepfather, Chakri Khamruang, woke and turned off the Wi-Fi, sparking an altercation, according to the report. Khamruang said he had to slap his stepson to get him to calm down after he went on a rampage, punching walls and cursing the family.

Eventually, Duanjan calmed down and fell asleep.

But the next morning, when his mother, Suban Duanjuan, went to draw water to cook rice, she discovered that pesticide was floating in the water of the garden well, reported the Daily Mail.
According to Kompas, she later recalled seeing Duanjan heading down to the well in the early hours of the morning.

“I asked what he was doing, but he just kept quiet and returned to his room. So I just let it go and went back to sleep,” Suban said.

The family called the police, according to the Mirror, and her son allegedly admitted to them that he had put the pesticide in the water supply.

His mother said that when he lost his temper in the past, they had simply tolerated it. “However, this time he has gone too far,” she said.

According to CH3 Thailand, the family later decided not to pursue criminal prosecution, although that option remains open to the authorities.

Poison a Possible Factor in Dominican Republic Deaths

In another case bearing the hallmark of a potential poisoning, at least 12 American tourists have passed away under suspicious circumstances in the last 12 months in the Dominican Republic.

Many of the victims reported drinking from the minibar in their rooms before they died.

A doctor has said that the symptoms reported in the tourists who mysteriously died in the Carribean hotspot are “consistent with poisoning.”
Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Tom Inglesby, told The New York Times that reported symptoms such as pulmonary edema, bleeding, and vomiting blood could point to poisoning, even if accidental.

He added that it is still difficult to pinpoint exactly what caused the deaths of the tourists, and the exact reason will only be known when toxicology reports are available.

The FBI and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating the causes of the deaths.