SPOKANE, Wash. – Spokane police detained a 16-year-old girl in downtown Spokane after a store owner was pepper sprayed while confronting her.
The Spokane Police Department said it received a call about the theft at the 200 block of North Howard around 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday.
Officers contacted the store owner and said he showed signs of being pepper sprayed.
The store owner told them he was working the register when he saw a young female walk in, walk around and leave. She was seen stealing a beanie, the store owner said.
The store owner went outside to talk to her and someone pepper sprayed him, he told police. He said he was not sure who sprayed him because there were multiple people near the street. Two other men had confronted him when he tried to talk to the girl, he said.
Officers were able to interview witnesses at the scene, the department said. They also got a photo of the people near the store.
Once they got the photo, they searched the downtown area and found people they believed to be involved. Shortly after, they found the girl, who they identified as 16 years old.
The department said it recovered the stolen beanie and took the girl into custody for 1st Degree Robbery and 3rd Degree Theft.
