Alex Machillanda, who is a catcher for the GCL Mets, was caught shoplifting clothes from a department store on Sunday evening. To add insult to injury, he was also charged with battery, resisting a merchant, and resisting an officer (without violence). The Palm Beach Post was the first to report Machillanda’s unlawful actions.

So, how did this happen? A loss prevention officer inside the department store saw Machillanda, also known as Alex Romero, taking clothes off racks and removing the price tags before taking pictures of them on his cell phone. He then went into a fitting room and stuffed the clothes he tore off the racks into a backpack so he could walk out of the store.

The loss prevention officer followed Machillanda out the door, but the catcher slammed his head into the concrete and tried to escape. The police were able to catch up to him, despite his best efforts. Police made sure Machillanda indeed stole clothing before notifying his manager, Ronny Reyes, of the events.

This is a shame; there was absolutely no reason for this to occur, and with the eye witness saying he was taking pictures on his phone before taking the merchandise out of the store, it sounds like he was doing the dirty work for someone else. Let’s hope he learns from his lesson.

The 21-year-old Venezuelan native has been with the organization since 2010, and has spent his time this season in the Gulf Coast League. He’s hitting .357/.357/.464 in 28 at-bats (eight games played) in 2013.