IRVING, Texas — A 19-year-old Dallas man is facing multiple charges after investigators say they discovered hundreds of photos and videos on his cellphone that allegedly show women being secretly recorded in department store restrooms, dressing rooms, and other private areas.
The investigation began on June 3, 2026, when Irving police responded to a report of a man allegedly recording women inside the restroom at the TJ Maxx located at 7735 N. MacArthur Blvd.
Store employees told officers that earlier in the day, an unidentified woman and a young girl reported the same man had been taking photos or videos while they were using the restroom. The suspect left the store but returned about 40 minutes later wearing the same clothing and again entered the women's restroom.
A store employee later told officers she was using a restroom stall when she looked down and saw a man's hand holding a cellphone underneath the partition. She said the phone's camera appeared to be recording her while she was using the toilet.
Investigators later learned the same suspect had allegedly been involved in similar incidents at the store on April 12 and June 1.
A loss prevention officer provided police with the license plate number of a Dodge Challenger seen leaving the scene. The vehicle was registered to 19-year-old Makarious Bates of Dallas, who was later identified through previous police body camera footage and store surveillance video.
Police entered the vehicle into the Flock Safety license plate reader system.
On June 15, officers received an alert that Bates' vehicle had been detected going southbound on N. MacArthur Boulevard. Officers located the vehicle near a Target store, conducted a traffic stop, and arrested Bates for possession of Marijuana. His vehicle was impounded. Knowing about the ongoing investigation into the secret recordings, detectives seized his cellphone during the arrest. Bates voluntarily provided the device's passcode.
After obtaining a search warrant, detectives conducted a forensic examination of the phone.
According to investigators, the device contained more than 290 photographs and videos of women inside department stores, dressing rooms, and restrooms. Some of the files included location data identifying where they had been recorded.
One video, recorded on June 15, showed a woman using a restroom at the Walmart located at 9311 Forest Lane in Dallas. Detectives said the video showed Bates placing his phone over and then underneath a restroom stall, capturing explicit images of the victim while audio recorded her using the restroom.
Detectives located the victim, who was identified as a Walmart employee. Police said she was unaware she had been recorded and became extremely emotional after viewing the evidence. She positively identified herself in the video and requested that criminal charges be filed.
On June 25, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Bates.
The following day, detectives learned Bates was employed at Kroger Supermarket located at 7505 N. MacArthur Blvd in Las Colinas. Members of Kroger were contacted that police were heading there to take Bates into custody. During the investigation, they discovered surveillance video from another Kroger location allegedly showing Bates secretly recording another woman inside a restroom. That victim also provided a statement and chose to pursue charges.
Bates was taken into custody on June 26.
According to police, Bates admitted to recording the images and videos recovered from his cellphone.
The investigation remains ongoing as detectives work to identify additional victims who may have been recorded.
Bates was booked into the Irving Jail on June 26th at 3:50 pm. He was charged with 2 counts of Invasive Visual Recording - Improper Photo/Video in Bathroom (a State Felony).
