Police in Newton, Massachusetts, are looking for a shoplifter who pepper-sprayed a worker Sunday at TJ Maxx — the second such incident in the city in less than a month.
The woman was caught on surveillance camera walking out of the Needham Street store carrying two pink Balenciaga bags and a St. Laurent hoodie in one hand. With the other, she is seen spraying the employee in the face.
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The victim was taken to a hospital because her eyes were swollen shut.
After getting pepper sprayed, the employee is seen struggling with the woman at the door.
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"This is very disturbing to us. We never want anybody, any employee, to ever try to stop someone, ever try to get involved in any way," said Lt. Bruce Apotheker of the Newton Police Department.
Police are also looking for two women they say were involved in a robbery at a CVS in Newton in early February. One of them is also accused of pepper spraying an employee in the face when they tried to intervene.
"The way you should get involved is by being our eyes and ears," Apotheker said. "This was only Mace used this time — it could be some other instrument or some other type of weapon that could be more deadly."
