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Fort Myers, FL - Police are searching for a woman who pepper-sprayed an employee and stole their phone during an attempted theft at a Southwest Florida Publix last weekend.
According to the Fort Myers Police Department, the attempted robbery took place at the Publix on 4600 Summerlin Road around 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning.
Police say a woman resorted to extreme measures to commit theft, pepper-spraying an employee before snatching the employee's phone.
The suspect, described as a Black woman, loaded up a shopping cart with merchandise and exited the store without making an attempt to pay for the items.
An employee noticed the woman leaving and decided to intervene in an effort to recover the stolen cart and its contents.
Surveillance footage captured the suspect approaching the employee and unexpectedly pepper-spraying them directly in the face, before snatching the employee's cell phone while making a getaway.
Law enforcement agencies are actively seeking assistance from the public in solving this crime.
Anyone with information related to Sunday's incident is urged to contact SWFL Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS or reach out to the Fort Myers Police Department at 239-321-7700.