Know Your Military

With Baby in Tow, Recruiter Foils Shoplifters

March 7, 2019

An Army recruiter pushing his 10-month-old daughter along in a stroller at a suburban Minneapolis mall noticed electronics store employees trying to stop some men who had walked out with several boxes of expensive headphones.

Police vehicles surround a civilian vehicle
Suspected Shoplifters
Police surround the vehicle of suspected shoplifters outside Southdale Mall in Edina, Minn. Army Staff Sgt. Sean Oliva, operations sergeant for the Minneapolis Army Recruiting Company, recently helped police arrest four suspected shoplifters while he shopped with his 10-month-old daughter.
Photo By: Army Staff Sgt. Sean Oliva
VIRIN: 190307-O-ZZ999-5072C


Staff Sgt. Sean Oliva followed the men, eventually flagging down police outside the mall when the men were attempting to flee. Police captured the suspects, who have been charged.

Oliva says he was motivated by Army values and his sense of duty.

Soldier in uniform holds baby in front of all-terrain vehicle
Minnesota Recruiter
Army Staff Sgt. Sean Oliva, operations sergeant for the Minneapolis Army Recruiting Company, poses with his 10-month-old daughter, Zoe. The father of two recently helped police arrest four suspected shoplifters while he shopped at a local mall with his daughter.
Photo By: Courtesy photo
VIRIN: 190307-O-ZZ999-5071D
Soldier in uniform stands with wife in front of Christmas tree.
Training Conference
Army Staff Sgt. Sean Oliva with his wife, Jamie, pose at a recruiter training conference. The father of two recently helped police arrest four suspected shoplifters while he shopped at a local mall with his 10-month-old daughter in Edina, Minn.
Photo By: Courtesy photo
VIRIN: 190307-O-ZZ999-5073C

Read more of Oliva's story here.