Syracuse police officer arrested, accused of stealing more than $4,000 in purchases

Syracuse, N.Y. — A Syracuse police officer has been placed on administrative leave after he was accused of stealing more than $4,000 in merchandise from Lowe’s, according to State Police.

Shaquille B. Muhammad, 32, of Syracuse, turned himself in to State Police on Thursday and was charged with third-degree grand larceny and first-degree falsifying business records, according to a news release Friday from Jennifer Jiron, a spokesperson for State Police.

Troopers said Muhammad used his Lowe’s credit card to buy more than $4,000 in contractor-type merchandise over several days in January. He then contacted the bank to falsely claim the purchases were unauthorized, prompting the bank to refund the full amount to his account, troopers said.

According to court documents, the purchases included:

• Jan. 16: lumber and other contractor merchandise valued at $2,094.26

• Jan. 17: merchandise valued at $209.96

• Jan. 17: merchandise valued at $135.05

• Jan. 18: merchandise valued at $1,483.23

• Jan. 18: merchandise valued at $117.10

The total value was $4,039.60, troopers said.

Muhammad was arraigned in Onondaga County CAP Court and released on his own recognizance.

Muhammad made $100,876 in 2024 working for the police department, according to an online payroll database, See Through New York.

The Syracuse Police Department said Muhammad has been placed on administrative leave and that a parallel internal investigation is underway.

“We take all allegations of criminal conduct seriously,” said Sgt. Thomas Blake, a spokesperson for Syracuse Police. “The Syracuse Police Department remains committed to accountability, transparency and maintaining the trust of the community we serve.”