Two women were arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of robbery after allegedly stealing clothing items and struggling with the store’s security guards, according to sheriff’s officials.
A call for shoplifting was first reported to Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies at approximately 6:30 p.m., and the location was identified as a store located on the 26400 block of McBean Parkway in Valencia.
“During investigation, deputies learned the suspects, female 28 years old and female 31 years old, exited the business with several items in hand which they did not pay for,” said Deputy Natalie Arriaga, a spokeswoman for the SCV Sheriff’s Station. “As the suspects exited the business, loss prevention officers attempted to detain the suspects.”
At that time, Arriaga said, one of the suspects forcibly pulled away from a security guard and reached into her purse as though to possibly imitate grabbing a weapon or unknown item.
“One of the suspects pulled away from the victim and reached into her purse, putting fear into the victim, not knowing what the suspect was attempting to retrieve,” said Arriaga. “The suspects left the location without further incident and were later detained by deputies on Magic Mountain Parkway/McBean Parkway in Valencia.”
After deputies had the two detained, they conducted a field show-up, a process by which a victim identifies the alleged suspects from a position of safety and/or anonymity, for instance while sitting in a sheriff’s vehicle. Both suspects were positively identified by the victim, Arriaga said.
“A search of one of the suspects resulted in the recovery of a magnetic tool similar for use for removing sensors off clothing,” said Arriaga.
The 28-year-old woman from Valencia was arrested on suspicion of robbery and the 31-year-old woman from Frazier Park was also arrested on suspicion of robbery, as well as possession of burglary tools. Both were transported to the SCV Sheriff’s Station and booked.
