Police: SLO County Walgreens worker assaulted trying to stop pair stealing skincare products

John Lynch
·2 min read
3

A pair of people who allegedly stole merchandise from an Atascadero Walgreens on Wednesday evening were arrested after fleeing into Monterey County, police say.

According to a news release from the Atasacadero Police Department, at around 6:24 p.m., officers responded to a report of a strong-arm robbery that had occurred at the Walgreens on the 8000 block of El Camino Real.

Officers made contact with a Walgreens employee, who told them a person was seen loading merchandise into a large trash bag inside the store, according to the release.

While a coworker called 911, the employee watched the person head for the exit, followed him and told him to stop, the release said.

According to the release, the person then assaulted the employee, causing visible injuries to the face that required treatment at Twin Cities Community Hospital, the release said.

That person and another, who was also seen exiting the store with unpaid merchandise in her arms, then fled the area in a vehicle the release.

At around 8:40 p.m., CHP informed Atascadero police that the pair involved in the incident had been taken into custody in the town of Gonzales in Monterey County after officers located the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop, according to the release.

The vehicle did not yield, which kickstarted a pursuit that ended in a drainage ditch, according to the release.

The pair fled on foot — attempting to hide in a nearby culvert — but were located and taken into custody, police said.

Atascadero officers then took custody of the pair in Gonzales and recovered the stolen property as well as additional property inside the suspects’ vehicle that remains under investigation. A photo of the allegedly stolen goods showed dozens of boxes of skincare and personal hygiene products.

Nashawn Goldie Smith, a 29-year-old Stockton resident, was booked into San Luis Obispo County Jail on suspicion of charges of robbery, battery and conspiracy, while 25-year-old Daly City resident Justice Anika Busby was booked into jail on suspicion of charges of conspiracy and shoplifting.

Busby was still in jail in lieu of $100,000 bail as of 5 p.m. Thursday, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office’s Who’s in Custody page. Smith was also still in custody with bail set at $60,000.