Suspect Pepper-Sprays Store Employee During Attempted Theft

ALPHARETTA, GA — An Apple store employee was pepper-sprayed last month during a suspect's attempt to steal smartphones from the store. An officer with the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety was dispatched to the store at 8130 Avalon Boulevard around 10:55 a.m. May 21 and met with the employee, who recounted the incident.

The employee said he approached a customer, who identified himself as "Hayden Strong." The employee began to write the name down, but according to a report released by the agency, the male got upset when the employee misspelled Hayden with an "o" instead of an "e."

The customer then asked for three phones and a case and ventured over to a display case for watches. The employee retrieved the items, placed them in a bag and began to enter the customer's information into a device. According to the report, the customer approached the employee, and "sprayed him in the face with some type of pepper spray."

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here)

The suspect tried snatch the bags from the employee's grip, but the worker held on and refused to let the items go. After a brief struggle, the employee took possession of the bag and ran to the back of the store. According to the report, the suspect fled the store on foot without any merchandise.

After meeting with Avalon security, officers determined the suspect left the area in an SUV and was captured on surveillance cameras driving towards the Arhaus furniture store. According to the report, the suspect is described as a black male in his late 20s with a slim frame. He was about 6'3'' tall, and had short braided hair that was gathered into a bun on top of his head. He was also wearing a white visor, blue Adidas track suit and navy shoes. The suspect also had a small scar on his lower lip near the corner of his mouth.

Anyone with information about the incident or the suspect can submit a crime tip to the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety by using the agency's Facebook page.

Image via Shutterstock