Employee Pepper Sprayed By Springfield Shoplifter: Police

SPRINGFIELD, VA—A chaotic shoplifting incident led to an employee being pepper sprayed and car crashes in Springfield Tuesday, police say.

Around 3:15 p.m., six women entered a business in the 6600 block of Loisdale Road, filled bags with merchandise and fled on foot. After entering another business and trying to do the same, they noticed an employee following them. One of the women pepper sprayed the employee in the face, and all got into a car and fled.

By that time, an officer spotted the car and tried to stop it. They continued driving away before crashing not once, but twice. The second crash made the car inoperable, leading to their arrests.

Ebony Stover, 18, Brionna Roots, 18, and Keshia Roberson, 39, were charged with two counts of grand larceny and larceny with the intent to distribute. Alaysha Simmons, 18, was charged with speed to elude, hit and run, false identity to law enforcement, two counts of grand larceny and larceny with the intent to distribute. Nia Eddy, 20, was charged with robbery, grand larceny and two counts of larceny with the intent to distribute. Jai Jenkins, 18, was charged with grand larceny and larceny with the intent to distribute. All are from Washington, DC.

Five of the six women went to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries as a result of the crash. No one else was injured, aside from the pepper sprayed employee, who was treated on the scene.

First image (left, top right, bottom right): Nia Eddy, Brionna Roots, Alaysha Simmons, second image (left, top right, bottom right): Ebony Stover, Jai Jenkins, Keisha Roberson. Images via Fairfax County Police