Woman Robbed Ski Barn, Pepper-Sprayed Store Employee In Wayne: Police

WAYNE, NJ — Officers apprehended a woman eight months after she robbed Ski Barn and pepper-sprayed an employee, the Wayne Police Department announced Thursday. Shavani C. Robinson and another suspect deployed pepper spray at a worker and attempted to use a stun gun, according to authorities.

The status of the other suspect wasn't immediately clear.

Police responded to the Route 23 store Dec. 30 for a reported robbery. Officers found the employee recovering from the effects of pepper spray, said Wayne Police Chief Jack McNiff.

Video footage showed the employee approaching the suspects, according to police. One pepper sprayed him, while the other tried using a stun gun against him, according to authorities. But the worker knocked the stun gun out of the suspect's hand before she could deploy it, McNiff said.

The value of the theft exceeded $1,000, and the suspects fled in a Honda Accord, police said. The employee sustained minor injuries.

A Wayne police investigation revealed that the same suspects stole from Ski Barn in Paramus, officials said. A temporary license-plate number caught on video led police to identify one of the suspects and then further investigate her phone.

As a result, Robinson was charged with second-degree robbery. West Caldwell police apprehended the 34-year-old Newark resident Aug. 19 and turned her over to Wayne authorities.

Officials placed Robinson in the Passaic County Jail.