Seattle police officers arrested a 46-year-old man for robbery and assaulting a security guard after stealing multiple items from a South Seattle grocery store.
On Oct. 20, at about 3:15 p.m., patrol officers responded to reports of a shoplifter using mace on security at a grocery store in the 3800 block of Rainier Avenue South. There, officers found the victim, suffering from the after-effects of pepper spray. They also found the masked, would-be thief in the store’s entryway, seemingly unconscious.
The Seattle Fire Department responded to evaluate the involved parties, both treated for minor injuries.
Police determined that the victim, working as store security, saw the suspect concealing items and exit all points of sale. The guard confronted the suspect inside the attached coffee shop in an attempt to retrieve the merchandise.
While retaining the stolen goods, the suspect pepper sprayed the victim. During the ordeal, the suspect sprayed the victim multiple times and punched him in the torso.
The security guard continued trying to recover the stolen merchandise from the suspect, and their physical confrontation continued in and out of the store.
At this point, an uninvolved patron subdued the suspect, and other people helped hold him down while the store manager called 911. Once officers arrived, the bystander left the area.
After reviewing the video surveillance footage, officers arrested the suspect. They recovered $184 in stolen property from the suspect, returning it to the store. Police also recovered the pepper spray as evidence.
The suspect, a previously convicted felon on active Department of Corrections supervision, is prohibited from engaging in criminal behavior as a standard condition of his release.
Officers took the suspect to the hospital for medical evaluation. They later booked him into the King County Jail for armed robbery and felony assault.
Detectives in the Robbery Unit are assigned to this case.
Incident Number: 2025-307159