A woman accused of stealing several cartons of cigarettes at a south-side Circle K and pepper-spraying a customer who tried to stop her was arrested May 10, authorities said.
Kassandra Suarez, 23, was arrested on suspicion of burglary and robbery, said Deputy Cody Gress, a Pima County Sheriff's Department spokesman.
A tip to 88-CRIME led robbery assault detectives to making the arrest, said Gress in a news release on Thursday, May 18.
The robbery occurred April 16, 2017 shortly before 4 p.m. at the convenience store at 5818 S. Palo Verde Road. The store is south of East Drexel Road.
Detectives learned that a woman entered the store and attempted to purchase cigarettes from behind the counter. When she was not able to, she left the store and returned minutes later.
She then walked behind the counter and took cigarettes from the shelf, Gress said. On her way out of the store, she pepper sprayed a customer who tried to stop her from leaving the store, said Gress.
The woman left in a white four-door sedan that possibly is a mid-2000s model. It may have front-end damage.
A woman was a passenger in the getaway car, said Gress.
Both women were captured on a surveillance camera.
