SEBASTIAN — Two Miami men with a history of shoplifting across Florida were arrested Thursday at a Walmart store after police said they tried to steal nearly $4,000 worth of merchandise, capping a string of thefts that authorities linked to more than $78,000 in losses.
Yasnier Rojas Castaneda, 30, and Heclian Rodriguez Felipe, 28, faced grand theft charges following the incident at the store on U.S. Highway 1 in Sebastian, according to a police report. Castaneda was also charged with resisting an officer without violence and giving a false name to law enforcement.
Officers responded around 4:40 p.m. to reports of a theft in progress. Loss prevention workers identified the pair as suspects in a prior shoplifting at the same store on Sept. 6, when they allegedly took items valued at $5,954.88, including vacuums, cookware, and clothing, without paying.
A Walmart loss prevention associate said she spotted one of the men acting suspiciously with a generator and other goods in his cart. She and a colleague then recognized both as the same individuals from the earlier theft, who used similar tactics of hiding items in tote bins.
Police said Castaneda fled inside the store upon seeing officers, but was apprehended in the back. Felipe was stopped outside the garden center after a Walmart associate pointed him out. Both men, who spoke limited English, were detained using Google Translate for communication. Felipe claimed he arrived by Uber and denied driving to the store.
During questioning, Castaneda provided a photo of someone else’s driver’s license and gave inconsistent birth dates, police said. Officers found credit cards revealing his true identity. A Spanish-speaking officer read them their rights, which they acknowledged understanding.
While the men sat near a patrol vehicle, an officer spotted a key fob hidden under a tire. Castaneda resisted handcuffing, tensing his arms during a brief struggle, but was subdued. The key belonged to a 2025 Hyundai sedan in the parking lot, where police found stacks of tagged merchandise in plain view.
The loss prevention associate confirmed some items matched a theft earlier that day at a Vero Beach Walmart. The car was towed to impound.
Walmart documents cited in the report allege that Castaneda was involved in at least 41 shoplifting incidents statewide and Felipe in 16, resulting in combined losses of $78,873.22. On Thursday, authorities recovered 197 items, valued at $3,923.87, from abandoned carts inside the store.
Both men were processed at the Indian River County Jail. Trespass warnings were issued barring them from the store.
Police said the suspects appeared to work together, abandoning carts loaded with concealed goods—a method consistent with their past thefts.
