Nassau Security Guard Maced By Thief

A security guard at a department store was maced by woman trying to steal handbags Monday night, police said, and another was threatened.

According to police, four women and a man entered the Neiman Marcus in the Roosevelt Filed Mall just after 8:30 p.m. Monday. They were seen on surveillance in the store entering the handbag department by security officers. The man took a pair of bolt cutters to cut the security wires holding the bags to the shelves.

One of the women took the bags and fled the store with the other women. A security guard confronted them outside the store, and one of the women pulled out a canister of mace and sprayed it in the guard's face.

Another security guard tried to stop the man from also fleeing the store with merchandise. The man raised the bolt cutters over his head to threaten the security guard, and then fled the store through an opposite exit. All five were seen getting into a Hyundai Santa Fe and fleeing in an unknown direction.

The guard who was maced was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Police ask anyone with information about this robbery to call Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.