An alleged thief sprayed a Boston Store employee with pepper spray before fleeing the scene Saturday with stolen merchandise, Madison Police said.
The suspect was spotted taking off security tags from men's clothing and putting the merchandise into a black handbag at the West Towne Mall location, according to the police incident report.
The victim, a Boston Store loss prevention officer, ran after the suspect into the mall's parking lot, Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain said.
The suspect then sprayed the victim in the face with a stream of pepper spray, DeSpain said. The victim was later treated for exposure to pepper spray.
According to DeSpain, the suspect then sped off in her car.
Police said the suspect's car is described as being an off-white or cream colored Chrysler 300M with significant front-end damage.
At the time of the incident the suspect had her hair worn in a ponytail, was wearing a white sweater and carrying a black handbag, police said.