Cops: Shoplifter punches Walmart guard over $6 in stolen goods

Police in Lacey Township, N.J. are searching for a shoplifting suspect who allegedly punched a Walmart security guard in the face Friday night.

The loss prevention officer confronted the man as he tried to flee the store without paying for $6 worth of merchandise shortly before 9 p.m., police said.

After punching the guard, the man ran across Route 9 and into a stretch of woods next to an assisted living center, according to investigators.

Lacey Township police and the Ocean County Sheriff's Department searched the area with K-9 officers, to no avail.

The suspect, described as a 6-foot-1, 200-pound white male with brown hair, had not yet been identified Sunday.

Police were investigating the incident as a robbery due to the man's use of force as he fled the scene.

Anyone with information was asked to contact the Lacey Township Police Department at 609-693-6636.