Alabama robber says ‘Happy holidays’ before bear spray attack

Celeste Houmard
·1 min read
6

ALABAMA (WJW) – A robber in Alabama tried to spread some Christmas cheer by saying, “Happy Holidays” before spraying bear spray at jewelry store employees.

According to the Gardendale Police Department, charges have been filed against Heather Wright, 32, after the attempted robbery at Jeff Dennis Jewelers in Gardendale, Alabama on Dec. 6.

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Shortly after the attempted robbery, Wright was apprehended at a home in Birmingham.

Wright was charged with three counts of robbery, with no bond, and three counts of criminal use of defense spray with a $15,000 bond each, according to police.

According to a statement released to AL.com Jeff Dennis Jewelers Owner Jeff Dennis said, “I did what I had to do to protect my store and my employees. I had no idea what she was capable of,” before shooting the suspect in the shoulder.

According to Dennis, Wright said, “Happy holidays. I don’t want to hurt y’all, but I am,” before she began spraying the bear spray.

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“I stepped around the corner and fired and hit her pretty good. I hit her in the shoulder. It was a significant injury,” Dennis told AL.com. “I didn’t have any choice once she started spraying the bear spray because I didn’t know what was going to come next.”

That is when Wright fled the scene before she was eventually arrested by police.

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