Irvine police are crediting an off-duty Newport Beach police detective with helping nab a man trying to steal a case of beer from a grocery store there on Wednesday.
Police said Detective Bob Watts saw Ryan William Prince, 24, wrestling with a Pavilions grocery store security guard who caught him leaving without paying for the alcohol.
About 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Prince, who’s described as a 6-foot-5, 250 pound Tustin resident, walked into the Pavilions grocery store on Portola Parkway and grabbed a case of beer and walked out without paying, said Irvine police Lt. John Hare. A security guard confronted him outside about the beer, and when Prince wouldn’t cooperate, the two got in a scuffle, Hare said.
