Convicted TikToker who bragged about Target theft arrested for running from police
By James Curtis, Elyse Chengery
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CAPE CORAL, Florida (WBBH) — A Cape Coral TikTok creator who went viral after posting a video of herself stealing from a Target store was arrested again Sunday after police said she ran from a traffic stop while on probation.
According to the Cape Coral Police Department, Marlena Velez, 23, was arrested after two separate traffic stops.
The first happened on Sept. 29, when officers said they saw Velez driving a gray Kia Sorento on Cultural Park Boulevard around 3:25 p.m. and recognized her from a prior arrest.
Police said she was wanted for violating probation and sped away after briefly stopping in a residential neighborhood, in which the officer did not pursue.
On Sunday, officers spotted a Kia Sorento linked to Velez and saw her sitting in the front seat of the SUV. When officers pulled the vehicle over and approached, they said she was missing from the front seat.
According to police, the driver said they did not know where Velez went, but officers found her lying on the floor in the back seat, attempting to hide.
She was taken into custody and booked into the Lee County Jail, facing charges for violating probation and fleeing and eluding police.
Velez gained online attention in November 2024 after she filmed herself shoplifting $500 worth of merchandise from a Cape Coral Target and posted it to her TikTok account, where she has nearly 300,000 followers. That video helped investigators identify her and led to her arrest.
She was arrested a second time, weeks later, after police say they linked her to a prior theft from the same Target store.
Court records show Velez pleaded no contest to petit theft in that case earlier this year and was sentenced to a 20-day work program, two years of probation and ordered to stay away from all Target stores.
Police said Velez’s criminal history includes a 2019 arrest for stealing a car as a teenager and a 2023 shoplifting incident at a Cape Coral Walmart.
She remains at the Lee County Jail as of Tuesday on two probation violation charges and a fleeing/eluding charge.
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James Willingham470-603-1211