Atwater man arrested in robbery; security guard injured

An Atwater man with a lengthy criminal record was arrested Friday, a day after investigators said he broke the arm of a security guard while trying to steal clothing, the Police Department reported.

Jody C. Brown, 50, allegedly stole boxers, socks and T-shirts Thursday night from Target on Commerce Avenue. As he was leaving the store, he was confronted by a security guard and the two struggled. Police said the security guard suffered a broken arm and the suspect escaped, Lt. Samuel Joseph said.

The store employee was taken to Mercy Medical Center for treatment.

Officer David Walker identified Brown as the suspect using security footage from the store. Brown was arrested early Friday at a home in the 1700 block of Sycamore Avenue.

“Officer Walker did an excellent job investigating this case and was able to quickly locate the suspect,” Joseph said.

Brown was booked at Merced County jail without bail on suspicion of robbery.

Brown’s criminal history includes two felony burglary convictions during the past two years and a long string of probation violations, according to Merced County jail records.

This story was originally published March 4, 2016 at 12:52 PM with the headline "Atwater man arrested in robbery; security guard injured."