A Rock Hill policeman has been hit by a car driven by fleeing felons last Tuesday evening in an attempt to capture the two shoplifters.
According to the reports, the officer was called onto the scene around 5:30 Tuesday evening, where there was a report of two young women trying to steal clothing from the local Kohl’s on Meeting Boulevard.
When the policeman arrived, he was met by the store’s loss prevention manager, who restated the following in regards to the event: ” while watching them on camera, the Kohl’s employee noticed that the two women carried in large, yet empty purses.
The employee continued to watch the 20 and 21 year old women as they loaded their arms up with clothing and took it into the dressing rooms, the report states.
Curious and suspicious of this activity, the Kohl’s employee walked into the adjacent dressing room to investigate. She stated that she heard the two women ripping the price tags off as they were both frantically shoving differnet items into their purses.
The ladies waited about 10 minutes, then walked out of the dressing roomswith their purses filled to the brim. The employee contacted the loss prevention manager, who then went into the dressing room to investigate for herself. There she found price tags on the floor and a room full of empty hangers.
It was at that point the manager made the decision to contact the police officer. The officer was nearby and arrived on the scene before the women had a chance to escape. He walked out of the store, identified himself, and asked the women to stop. They refused and jumped into 2009 Toyota Corolla in an attempt to make off with the stolen merchandise.
The officer then approached the driver’s side door and ordered the driver and her passenger to exit the vehicle. Meanwhile, he was holding onto the door handle, the report states. This physical contact did not hault the driver one bit, and she began to driver away with the officer still holding onto the door handle. In fact, his grasp was so tight that the handle broke off of the vehicle as the friction caused the officer to spin around to where the back of the women’s car struck the officer.
The driver drove through the parking lot with total disregard for safety of other drivers and pedestrains alike. The officer did suffer minor injuries, but has since been released and in fine to continue his duty on the workforce.
The two women were discovered at the Stone Haven Pointe apartment complex when the police found their vehicle parked at the complex. The women were subsequently arrested.
The driver has since been charged with shoplifting, failure to identify [herself] and reckless driving. The co-conspirator/passenger was charged with shoplifting and failure to identify.
Luckily, the officer’s injuires were considered minor, and the stolen merchandise has been returned to the Kohl’s it was taken from.
Sometimes people make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes are accidental. In the event you, or someone you know is being charged with a crime, contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower to speak to an expirenced criminal defense attorney today. With our former prosecutor, J. Tyler Burns on your side, he will use his knowledge and skill learned from the other side to diligently argue your case for you. We can be reached at 803-548-4444 or toll-free at 877-374-5999.