The Force was not strong with this one.

A man suspected of stealing thousands of dollars worth of Star Wars Lego items from Toys R' Us stores across the country was arrested Tuesday in Florida.

Shannon Kirkley, 35, of New Jersey, hid 12 Star Wars Lego items valued at $300 in a cardboard treasure chest, paid for the toy chest box and walked out of a Toys R Us in Wesley Chapel, Florida, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office said.

>> Read more trending stories

"(Kirkley) put up a fight, but was eventually taken into custody," Melanie Snow, a sheriff's spokeswoman, said in a release.

Kirkley admitted to similar thefts across the country, investigators said.

Kirkley was arrested and charged with grand theft, resisting arrest without violence and possession of cocaine.

About the Author

Featured

UPS driver Dan Partyka delivers an overnight package. As more people buy more goods online, the rapid and unrelenting expansion of e-commerce is causing real challenges for the Sandy-Springs based company. (Bob Andres/AJC 2022)

Credit: TNS