Shoplifters Use Stun Gun On Security Guards Who Intervened: Police

ARCADIA, CA – One of three female suspects shocked a security guard at an Arcadia grocery store during a robbery, which appears to be related to a similar robbery in Temple City, authorities said today.

At 9:54 p.m. Thursday, officers went to a Vons at 745 W. Naomi Ave. in Arcadia, where three women confronted a store security guard who attempted to stop them from leaving without paying for the merchandise in their possession, said Arcadia police Sgt. John Bonomo. One of the women used a stun-gun type weapon to shock the security guard, he said.

"Fearing for his safety, he stepped away and watched as the three women entered a red vehicle," Bonomo said. "The vehicle was last seen fleeing east on Naomi Avenue."

The security guard reported a minor injury but declined immediate medical attention, the sergeant added.

The women were described as black, in their mid 30s and all wearing black clothing, Bonomo said.

About an hour before the Arcadia robbery, two women entered a Temple City CVS Pharmacy at 5585 Rosemead Blvd. where two women were stealing clothes, said Sgt. Richard Lewis of the Temple City Sheriff's Station. When confronted, one of the women used a stun gun on a security guard, causing him to back away, Lewis said.

The women got into a red, four-door car with paper license plates, possibly a Kia or Ford Focus, and sped away, sheriff's Lt. Ronald Daily told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

The security guard was checked out by paramedics but did not wish to be taken to a hospital, the newspaper reported.

Daily said he believed the robberies are related.

Law enforcement plans to review security footage today, a news organization reported.

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--City News Service contributed to this report/Shutterstock image