A Portland woman is accused of reaching for metal knuckles with a knife blade attached when an employee stopped her from trying to shoplift more than $800 worth of clothes Monday night from Macy’s at the Vancouver Mall.
Vancouver police responded at 7:58 p.m. to the Macy’s, 8202 N.E. Vancouver Mall Drive, for reports of a shoplifter in custody. When officers arrived, they found a woman identified as Carolann Frank-Watkins, 26, handcuffed to the wall in the store’s loss prevention office, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The store’s loss prevention employee told officers Frank-Watkins grabbed items from the store and walked past the check out stands without making an attempt to purchase the items. He said when he approached her, she ran toward the doors, but he was able to put one of her wrists in handcuffs, court records state.
Frank-Watkins fell to the ground while struggling with the employee and then reached toward her waistband, where she had concealed a pair of metal knuckles that also had a folding knife attached, the affidavit states.
