Fred Meyer security agent trips, disarms shoplifter
EVERETT WA May 15 2018 — A shoplifter at Fred Meyer pulled a knife on a fleet-footed security guard, who had the quick reflexes to trip the thief and kick away the knife, according to Everett police reports filed in court Friday.
A Granite Falls man grabbed a baseball cap and a pair of trimming shears in the store on Evergreen Way around 1 p.m. Thursday, according to police. The shears weren’t sharp enough to cut off a security tag from a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor shoes, so he pulled out a knife to take off the tag.
Loss prevention employees confronted the man, 31. He ran out the gardening department exit and dropped the shoes in the parking lot. An employee told the man he’d been caught stealing. The suspect whipped out the folding pocket knife with a 3-inch blade, court papers say.
The two men stood a few feet apart outside, when the security guard used his foot to trip the theft suspect, making him fall to the pavement, court papers say. The guard kicked the knife away and the man was detained by Fred Meyer employees. No one was hurt.
Police arrested the man for investigation of first-degree robbery. He had tried to steal about $100 in merchandise, according to the reports. Officers found the container of the shears had been damaged. The hat was found tucked into the man’s waistband. It was recovered.
Herald Net
