Shoplifter bit off Puyallup security officer’s ear
PUYALLUP, Wash. October 31 2018 – A security officer had part of his ear bitten off when he tried to stop a man stealing polo shirts from a Puyallup store, records show.
The security guard first noticed three young men in the store Friday and decided to watch them closely.
He saw an 18-year-old fold up two polo shirts, go into a changing room and come out with them hidden in his jacket, according to court documents.
When the man and his two friends left the store without paying, the guard followed the would-be shoplifters and stopped them.
That’s when things got out of hand.
The security officer was wrestling with the 18-year-old on the ground when the suspect’s two friends allegedly began hitting the guard and threatening him.
As the security guard tried to flip the suspect over, the suspect bit his ear, “latching onto it,” shoved his hand in the guard’s mouth and grabbed his hair, records show.
“As the LPO (loss prevention officer) tried to get the defendant to let go of his ear, the defendant bit harder, tearing a portion of the ear lobe,” records show.
The security officer needed 10 stitches to reattach his ear.
On Monday, the 18-year-old pleaded not guilty to first-degree robbery and second-degree assault.
He was ordered jailed in lieu of $15,000 bail.
One of his underage friends was also taken into custody.
News Tribune
