UPDATE (WKOW) — Four people are in custody after Monona Police found them driving a stolen car into a Walmart parking lot.

Three teens and one adult, Dazhonna Martin of Fitchburg, arrested in Walmart’s covered parking lot Monday morning.

Chief Walter Ostrenga says the teens involved are part of the group of 60-70 teens who have been consistently stealing cars.

The parking lot is busy during the day at the Walmart in Monona but that’s not the case early in the morning Chief Ostrenga says that’s part of the reason stolen vehicles are often found that very parking lot.

“It’s one o’clock in the morning, there’s no other big stores open other than the Walmart, which is open 24 hours a day,” he said. “So it seems to be sort of an attraction for people to go to.”

Staff called police after seeing the car and suspects on security cameras.

“For some reason, he suspected the car was stolen, probably because it wasn’t his first rodeo with something like this,” Chief Ostrenga said. “It’s happened several times before.”

This is the same Walmart where, in June, police confronted other car theft suspects, who led them on a high-speed chase.

“Chasing stolen cars on the beltline, that’s become a nightly event almost,” Chief Ostrenga said. “Car goes by at 100 miles per hour, you try to catch up to it and they just take off.”

This time police got there as the suspects were buying snacks inside and arrested them before they could get into the car and take off.

“We lucked out and were able to contain it and take them into custody,” he said. “Nobody got hurt.”

MONONA (WKOW) — Police arrested four teens early Monday after police surrounded a car they say the group drove to a Walmart store.

Police arrested Dazhonna Martin, 21, Fitchburg and three juvenile males (a 15-year-old and two 16-year-olds).

Monona police were called to the Monona Walmart about 1:30 a.m., Monday for a reported retail theft in progress involving four subjects.

The store’s loss prevention agent suspected they arrived in a stolen auto that was parked in the underground parking lot, according to a Monona police news release.

Employees directed police to an unoccupied 2008 Lexus, which had been stolen days earlier from Madison.

Police blocked in the car and requested mutual aid. As officers set up a perimeter of the area, the suspects came down the escalator towards the garage. Once they saw the uniformed officers, they all took off running.

All four were quickly apprehended, police said.

During the investigation, police learned the suspects had a stolen wallet that had been taken from a vehicle in Madison. The subjects used a debit card from the wallet to purchase items in the Walmart.

Martin, who was identified as the driver of the stolen auto, was taken to the Dane County Jail and faces charges of operating a motor vehicle without owner’s consent – driver, and resisting arrest.

The three juveniles were transported to the Juvenile Detention Center on charges of operating a motor vehicle without owner’s consent – passenger, and resisting arrest.