Two women from Massachusetts were arrested in New Hampshire after allegedly attempting to steal from a New Hampshire outlet mall on Saturday before they got into a confrontation with police, officials say.
Police in Merrimack, New Hampshire responded to Merrimack Premium Outlets for a robbery in progress at the Polo Outlet around 3:45 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
Police say they located the suspects Maryah Williams of Boston and Lasonia Watler, of Brockton at the nearby American Eagle Store.
The pair allegedly emptied their shopping bags to hide the stolen merchandise and began to resist the officers who attempted to detain them.
Police say Williams kicked an officer in the stomach and then sprayed pepper spray into his eyes. The pepper spray filled the store, affecting other officers and customers.
Police say Watler also attempted to reach for her pepper spray but she was stopped.
“Both females were eventually taken into custody, but continued resisting and yelling obscene and racially insensitive insults in a public setting causing a disruption to other shoppers,” Merrimack police wrote on Facebook.
The customers in the store affected by the pepper spray were all offered medical treatment but turned it down, police say.
Williams is charged with the felony offenses of receiving stolen property, attempted 2nd-degree assault and falsifying physical evidence and the two misdemeanor charges of simple assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and possession of theft detection device removal tools.
Watler is charged with the felony offense of receiving stolen property and misdemeanor offenses of resisting arrest or detention, attempted simple assault on a police officer, disorderly conduct and possession of theft detection device removal tools.
The two women are scheduled to appear in Merrimack District Court on Monday.
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Source Agencies
