WALKER, Mich. — Walker Police have identified the man who may know something about a suspicious incident that happened at Target on Alpine Avenue last week.
Walker Detective Sgt. Joel Bartels would not reveal the nature of the incident but did say it happened near the dressing room area at the store during the afternoon hours on June 1.
Authorities released photos of the man, who was in a gray henley shirt and a gray baseball hat. He was considered a person of interest in the investigation, police said.
Detective Sgt. Bartels said he's aware of TikToks being shared of strange encounters at the Alpine Target, but said there's only one open police report at this time.
Police are working with Target, and said security shared surveillance video and other reports with detectives.
"If you go out anywhere, you should always be aware of your surroundings. Pay attention to who's around you. And again, if someone is approaching you and talking to you in a way that's making you feel uncomfortable, you should leave. Don't be afraid to be rude and tell that person you don't want to talk to them. Turn your back on them and walk away. Go find an employee, and tell them what's going on. Call the police. We're more than happy to come up there and help even if it's not criminal," Detective Sgt. Bartels said.
"I guess the issue that that that we're seeing is a lot of people are just going on TikTok and talking about these experiences, and we don't know about them because they're not being reported to the police," Detective Sgt. Bartels said.
"It helps us even if it's not criminal if you let the police department know, that helps us so we can track what's going on there."
TikTok user havannaooonana shared an uncomfortable account of what she said happened days ago at the Alpine Target. She asked 13 ON YOUR SIDE not to use her name.
The Walker Police Department has not corroborated her account with 13 ON YOUR SIDE, but she claims she gave a statement to the police about what happened.
At the Alpine Target days ago, the woman describes a suspicious man with a mustache wearing a baseball hat and a black bag hanging around near the shoe rack by the dressing room.
She said she was walking into the dressing rooms when she noticed him.
"As soon as he saw me coming into the dressing room, he was coming out. And he went back in the dressing room," she said. "And instantly, I was like 'That was odd.'"
"About two minutes into trying stuff on, I looked into the mirror and underneath my dressing room door, I saw the black bag with two quarter-sized holes with camera lenses in it," the woman said.
"I looked at it for five more seconds, and then I placed my leg in front of it. And then the bag was removed."
The woman quickly got dressed and went to look for a store employee when she saw the man across the store.
"As soon as he saw me, he went running," she said.
She said she notified Target security, and gave a statement to police.
"Unfortunately, [security] couldn't find him. So, they went and viewed the security footage and come to find out he had gone into a car and left. And they had reviewed the footage to see what he had come into the store. And they had found out that he was in the store for two hours and had been in the dressing rooms in and out doing the same thing to other women," she said. "So, I was extremely shaken up and felt very violated."
13 ON YOUR SIDE has reached out to Target for comment. They said the following:
The safety of our guests and team members is our top priority, and we’ll continue to provide the Walker Police Department with anything needed for their investigation.
If you can help, you're asked to the Walker PD Tip Line at 616-791-6788 or Silent Observer with any information.
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