Plymouth Township police recovered a loaded handgun from a sewer grate after a retail theft suspect discarded it during a foot chase on Aug. 15.

Johnathan Latore Shaquan Ward, 36, of Philadelphia, allegedly attempted to steal multiple containers of baby formula from the Target at 2250 Chemical Road in Plymouth Meeting, according to the Plymouth Township Police Department. Ward was uncooperative when stopped by Target loss prevention staff, police said.

When patrol officers arrived and tried to take Ward into custody, he resisted and fled on foot through the front of the store and into the parking lot, according to police.

During the chase, officers observed Ward kneel on top of a sewer grate and discard a Glock Model 43 9mm handgun. He kept running. Officers took him into custody behind DSW Shoe Warehouse.

Police recovered the firearm from the sewer along with a magazine containing eight rounds of ammunition.

Ward has prior felony convictions that bar him from legally possessing a firearm, police said. He faces five charges, according to MoreThanTheCurve. The two felonies are persons not to possess a firearm, a second-degree felony, and firearms not to be carried without a license, a third-degree felony. The three misdemeanors are retail theft, receiving stolen property and evading arrest or detention on foot.

Ward was arraigned on Aug. 16 before the on-call magisterial district judge. Bail was set at $50,000 cash. Unable to post bail, Ward was remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.

A preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Jodi Griffis was scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 9:30 a.m. The outcome of that hearing was not available in public records as of publication.

Plymouth Township police have handled a high volume of retail theft cases this year. The department investigated 76 reports in July 2026 alone, with stolen merchandise totaling $21,856, according to a police retail theft report. For the first seven months of 2026, the total reached $199,030.

"There never seems to be an end to it and we're hoping that this can be a deterrent," Plymouth Township Detective Sgt. Christopher Schwartz told 6ABC in April 2025, when the department launched its public retail theft roundup initiative targeting the same Chemical Road shopping district.

Anyone with information about retail theft in Plymouth Township can contact police at 610-233-0585 or email [email protected].