2 arrested after allegedly robbing SLO County hardware store, pepper-spraying employee
Two Lompoc men were arrested after allegedly robbing an Arroyo Grande hardware store and pepper-spraying an employee on Wednesday.
According to an Arroyo Grande Police Department news release, officers were dispatched to Miner’s Ace Hardware in the 100 block of Station Way around 8:57 a.m. for a report of a male shoplifting.
The man left the store with unpaid items and was stopped by store employees near a vehicle occupied by another man, the Police Department said.
According to the release, a struggle ensued and the second man stepped out of the driver’s seat and pepper sprayed an employee.
Both then fled in the vehicle with the unpaid merchandise, police said.
At noon, the two men and the vehicle were located at a Lompoc hotel by the Lompoc Police Department, according to the release. A brief foot pursuit took place, and both men were apprehended.
Merchandise from another theft was also located and turned over to the San Luis Obispo Police Department, according to the release.
Officers from the Arroyo Grande Police Department took custody of the pair and booked them into the San Luis Obispo County Jail on suspicion of charges of robbery, according to the release.
They were identified as David Michael Samulski, 27, and Alberto Montesdeoca, 30, both of Lompoc.
As of Wednesday evening, Samulski was still in custody with bail set at $30,000, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office’s Who’s in Custody page.
Montesdeoca no longer appeared to be in custody.
