A shop thief has been jailed following a massive six-month spree during which police believe he struck supermarkets more than 500 times.
Samad Ali is believed to have stolen up to £18,000 worth of items from supermarkets across the West Midlands.
Ali, 26, from Birmingham, targeted 40 stores in the area between October 2022 and April 2023.
Police said he operated in and around his home city, the Black Country and out into nearby boroughs Staffordshire and West Mercia.
He has been convicted on dozens of counts of theft and jailed for two years after having committed hundreds of thefts.
Ali received a two-year sentence for 24 counts of theft and one of dangerous driving, with West Midlands Police saying Ali asked for 447 similar offences to be taken into consideration.
Police said he stole from the same shops multiple times during his six-month spree before he was spotted by a security worker in Minworth, near Sutton Coldfield.
The worker recognised the 26-year-old as a prime suspect for previous thefts at the supermarket.
He attempted to prevent Ali from driving off, but he drove his car at the worker, who was pinned to the bonnet of his car for some distance before falling off.
The worker was not left seriously injured, and the incident was witnessed by an off-duty police officer.
Investigators were able to compile evidence that allowed them to identify Ali as the man responsible for a spate of offences in the Midlands.
He was arrested and detained at his Birmingham home, where officers said they found a baton.
Police Constable Sohail Khan, of Birmingham CID, said: “Ali was a prolific thief who repeatedly took items from supermarkets across the region.
“Given the amount of offences I have absolutely no doubt he would have continued to steal had we not stopped him.
“He was not concerned about harming others and it’s just fortunate the security worker was not more seriously hurt.”
