GREENWOOD, Ind. (WTHR) - Two women are now facing charges for allegedly stealing from multiple stores inside the Greenwood Park Mall and pepper-spraying one employee who tried to stop them.
According to the police report, 22-year-old Toia Hamilton and 27-year-old Jaylin Pennington-Tucker were arrested shortly after the crime.
A store employee told police he confronted the women after observing them placing multiple Nike items in a bag at the JC Penney's store at the mall. When he saw the women try to leave the store without paying for the items, he approached them and identified himself, displaying a badge to advise them of his position within the company.
At that time, the man said Pennington-Tucker pulled pepper spray from her pocket and sprayed it, but missed him.
Inside an SUV in which the women were traveling, officers say they found marijuana, some of the stolen items and a magnet that's used to open anti-theft devices.
Pennington-Tucker was arrested for robbery and theft, while Hamilton was arrested for theft, possession of marijuana and driving while suspended prior, according to the police report.
This isn't the first time the mall has been targeted by thieves. Last December, two other women were arrested for a violent shoplifting incident where a worker was maced and a witness who was trying to help was hit by the suspect's car.