By Jim Clark

Police responded to a shoplifting report at the Target store on Somerville Ave. last Friday.

Upon arrival, officers were informed by loss prevention personnel that a man was being held in their office but that they were not yet able to identify him.

The officers made several attempts to ascertain the man’s identity, but he reportedly continued to refuse to cooperate.

The officers were eventually able to convince the man, Alexis Mercado, 41, of Cambridge, to identify himself.

After his identity was confirmed Mercado was instructed to leave the store and not return, that he was no longer welcome there.

Mercado then left the loss prevention office but refused to leave the store. After refusing several requests for him to leave he was placed under arrest for shoplifting by concealing merchandise.

Store personnel reportedly told police that they had observed Mercado behaving suspiciously in the past and that they suspected him of shoplifting there several times.

On that day he had reportedly been caught concealing a pair of Dr. Scholl’s foot inserts on his person and attempting to leave the store without paying for them. The merchandise was valued at $17.18.