12:09 PM PT -- Prince William County PD has released a statement about the incident --

"On June 22 around 1:30AM, officers responded to the WAWA located at 2051 Daniel Start Sq in Woodbridge to investigate a larceny in progress.

An employee reported to police that a man ran out of the store without paying for some merchandise. When officers arrived, they located the man in the parking lot.

Following the investigation, the accused, identified as Rodney Darnell Whitehead - age 25, was charged with petit larceny and released on a court summons."

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Lucky Whitehead was arrested in Virginia in June for shoplifting -- and now a warrant has been issued for his arrest ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The 25-year-old was busted in Prince William County, VA on June 22 for shoplifting/petit larceny under $200. We're told Whitehead allegedly took stuff from a convenience store.

He was ordered to appear in court on July 6, but according to court records he didn't show up -- so a warrant was issued for his arrest. He's since been charged for failure to appear.

We reached out to Whitehead's rep -- so far, no word back.

FYI, Whitehead was undrafted but signed a 3-year $1.5 million contract with the team in 2015.