PHILADELPHIA – Eagles star rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter called alleged shoplifting claims from a Center City Target store earlier this week were “probably just a misunderstanding.”
Jalen Carter called incident at a Center City Target a “misunderstanding.” #Eagles pic.twitter.com/QQGDssDBsp
— John McMullen (@JFMcMullen) November 17, 2023
A police source told JAKIB Sports that Carter was with a woman who failed to scan items at a self-checkout area. Carter, perhaps unknowingly, grabbed the items that were bagged and tried to leave the store when stopped by a Target employee. It was acrimonious enough that the police were brought into the situation but Carter was never detained and no police report was ever filed regarding the incident.
“It was probably just a misunderstanding,” Carter said Friday “I don’t really know too much about it.”
Carter was regarded as one of the top players in the 2023 NFL Draft but fell to the Eagles at No. 9 after pleading no contest to reckless driving and racing charges in March stemming from a crash that killed a Georgia football player and staffer.
One Eagles teammate defended Carter saying the rookie had no idea the items weren’t scanned or paid for. Restitution was eventually made although it wasn’t clear if the item(s) were returned or paid for.
Earlier this week Carter held a charity event at the Boys & Girls Club of Philadelphia, distributing Thanksgiving meals to over 100 children.
