IRVING, Texas — A late night patrol check at a closed Walmart parking lot led to the arrest of a man found with a stolen rental vehicle, according to the Irving Police Department.
On Monday night, March 9th, at about 11:38 p.m., officers contacted a suspicious vehicle parked in the lot of the Walmart at 1635 Market Place Boulevard near Interstate 635 after the store had already closed.
Officers approached the parked 2026 Nissan Rogue and made contact with the sole occupant, who was sitting in the driver’s seat. The man presented a New Mexico driver’s license identifying him as 34 year old Tunde Yusuf Ayodele.
During the encounter, officers said Ayodele was unable to provide a local address or a reasonable explanation for why he was parked at the location after business hours. Officers also observed signs suggesting he had been living out of the vehicle.
A check of the vehicle’s New Mexico license plate returned no results. During the investigation, an officer noticed a white sticker had been placed over the vehicle’s VIN plate. After removing the sticker and running the VIN through the National Crime Information Center database, the vehicle was confirmed to be a rental owned by National Car Rental that had been reported stolen from Albuquerque, New Mexico on Jan. 13, 2026.
Irving officers contacted Albuquerque police to confirm the report before taking Ayodele into custody.
A search of the vehicle following the arrest revealed two different New Mexico license plates stacked on top of each other on the rear of the SUV. Authorities said neither plate belonged to the vehicle.
Investigators also contacted National Car Rental’s law enforcement line and confirmed that Ayodele had rented the vehicle from Jan. 9 through Jan. 14. Records showed that Ayodele had reported the vehicle stolen to the rental company on Jan. 13, claiming it had been taken by "unknown individuals".
Ayodele was booked into the Irving Jail and charged with Theft Receiving and Concealing Stolen Property valued between $30,000 and $150,000.
Authorities said a background check showed Ayodele had no prior theft related charges.
