A planned shoplifting attempt turned into a full-on robbery after an 18-year-old Indianapolis woman threatened store employees with a hammer.
On Wednesday, police were dispatched to a grocery store in the Greenwood area to look into an incident involving Amber Nichole Williams, who was reported to be concealing bottles of alcohol. Upon arrival shortly before 9pm, authorities found Williams in a red cap accompanied by a woman in a black cap fleeing the scene. Employees said that before the police arrived, Williams threatened to attack them with a hammer.
Police chased Williams down with guns drawn because she was armed with a hammer, reports say. She later surrendered and was detained at Johnson County Jail, where she has been charged with a felony of robbery and a misdemeanor charge of a minor possessing an alcoholic beverage. The Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office is currently bringing formal charges against her.
After her arrest, a store employee said that Williams was seen on surveillance footage stealing two large bottles of vodka and putting them in her purse. She then proceeded to leave the scene but the store’s security system locked the tires of a shopping cart she was pushing, which prevented her from exiting.
When a loss prevention employee attempted to block Williams from leaving the store, she pulled out a hammer and began threatening the employee. When Williams surrendered to authorities, they found she stole items worth approximately $67. Police returned the stolen goods to the store.
Williams remains in custody on a $17,000 bond.
U.S. News reports that Indianapolis’ metropolitan area has a violent crime rate higher than the national rate, according to data compiled in 2020. “Its rate of property crime was higher than the national rate,” adding that “Indianapolis has a higher crime rate than similarly sized metro areas.”
The city’s crime rate is derived from the number of crimes committed per 100,000 people.
