Two retail theft suspects avoided arrest by Colorado Springs police Tuesday night after being tracked between multiple stores.

According to a police blotter entry, officers received a call around 7:30 p.m. that a known “prolific” retail crime offender was in the Home Depot at 7120 N. Academy Blvd. The suspect drove away before police arrived.

Police said they used the city’s automatic license plate reader cameras to find a “pattern of travel” for the suspect’s vehicle around Home Depot and predict nearby stores that might be targeted next.

According to the blotter, a police sergeant located the vehicle outside another retail store and placed a tire deflation device behind the vehicle. Shortly after, the officer saw two suspects running out of the store with stolen goods and ordered them to stop before they drove away.

Officers did not pursue the suspects. The vehicle was later found on Villa Loma Drive with a blown tire and much of the stolen merchandise left behind by the suspects.