Police Need Help in Identifying a Suspect of Theft in Tyler, TX

Police Officers in Tyler, Texas are currently seeking the public's help in identifying a man suspected of an alleged theft that took place at a local business.

Do you recognize this man?

According to a recent post shared publicly on the Tyler, TX Police Department's Facebook page, Tyler Police are seeking a suspect of theft who allegedly left Home Depot in Tyler with a brand new air conditioning in his cart and "forgot" to pay for it. This incident occurred back on September 13.

And many of the people commenting on the post seem to have two prevailing thoughts about it.

First of all, the Tyler Police referred to the man as a "gentleman" in their post (which I think was really meant to be ironic, witty, and perhaps gracious) and some of the commenters are objecting and calling the suspect a "low-life thief," etc.

Personally, I think that is extreme. Even if this man were to be found guilty (and is presumed innocent until that moment), I don't particularly subscribe to the idea that just because someone does something wrong they are thus given that as an identity.

Granted, we must be held accountable for our actions. However, if everyone you know were to be labeled as the embodiment of whatever they did wrong, we'd likely all be labeled something--liar, glutton, etc.

Secondly, people were commenting that as we are seeing more self-checkout stations at these stores, we may see an increase in theft. Do you agree?

I've wondered if we would see an increase in theft with the addition of self-checkout.

Here's the original post:

Whatever this man may or may not have done, if you recognize him the Tyler Police Department asks you to contact them.

The suspect appears to be a black male wearing a grayish short-sleeved polo-style shirt with horizontal stripes, jeans, and tennis shoes. He also is wearing glasses.

Here's the photo again for your perusal:

Tyler Police ask that "if you can identify him, please contact Det. Dickerson at 903-533-2088 or call Tyler-Smith County Crime Stoppers at 903-597-2833."