Alleged ‘Red Bull thief’ behind bars after 20+ Bay Area thefts

A man is accused of stealing over $14,000 worth of Red Bull, vodka and other merchandise over the course of more than 20 visits to a Vallejo liquor store.

Toulon Thurston, 33, had reportedly made a habit of visiting a business on the 900 block of Admiral Callaghan Lane, often stealing multiple cases of energy drinks and bottles of New Amsterdam vodka. According to a social media post by the Vallejo Police Department, authorities arrived at the store Oct. 15 and received information about “the Red Bull Thief,” along with his alleged getaway car and getaway driver.

Authorities located Thurston’s vehicle near Florida Street and Yuba Street. A store employee arrived at the scene and identified Thurston as well as another suspect, identified in the Solano County list of inmates as 37-year-old Teaawonna Rucks.

Police retrieved Red Bulls and liquor bottles from the vehicle and handed them over to the liquor store.

A records check, according to authorities, revealed that Thurston had a $25,000 warrant out for his arrest in Solano County for alleged possession of a stolen vehicle. He also had a $10,000 Napa County warrant on a theft charge.

As of Monday afternoon, Thurston remained held without bail in Solano County Jail. Rucks was not listed in the county’s current list of inmates.

Sgt. Rashad Hollis, the public information officer for the Vallejo Police Department, said understaffing issues often result in delays in responding to certain crimes in Vallejo. He said it’s common for thieves — in fact is their “MO” — to return to the same businesses and steal the same things over and over, while loss prevention staff are often forbidden from physically touching suspects.

“They go in, they get their bags and they go straight to the same product,” Hollis said. He added, “They pack up and they go to the car and someone’s out there waiting.”

Hollis said property crimes have gotten so bad in Vallejo that some businesses – like The Grind Cafe, which was burglarized twice last year – have been forced into paying top-dollar insurance premiums. The city started a program to help these businesses stay afloat in a contentious meeting last month.