Apple store worker pepper-sprayed in failed theft, Alpharetta cops say

Police in Alpharetta are searching for a suspect who they say pepper-sprayed a man in a failed robbery attempt weeks ago.

On May 21, the suspect attempted to steal two phones and a phone case from the Apple store at Alpharetta's mixed-use development, Avalon, police said.

Police say the suspect requested to buy the two phones and the case, but then tried to steal them when an employee was preoccupied. When an employee grabbed the bag, the suspect pepper-sprayed him.

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"It's not very common, but sometimes things do happen. We're lucky it didn't end worse than it did," Jeff Ross, a spokesman for the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety told Channel 2 Action News.

The employee suffered minor injuries, but managed to grab the bag. The suspect fled on foot, empty handed.

Police say there is surveillance footage of the suspect getting into an SUV outside the store. The investigation is ongoing.

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Authorities say the suspect was trying to steal iPhones.

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Mitchell Northam

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