Sani Reed, 18, of Philadelphia, bit two officers after she and four other girls stole from the Dick’s Sporting Goods in Willow Grove on Saturday, May 18, NBC10 reported.
According to their coverage, Abington Township police received a report of a theft in progress around 7:30pm. Store employees told officers that they saw five teenaged girls stealing merchandise and placing the items in bags.
When officers tried to take Reed into custody, she resisted and tried to pull away, flailing her body, kicking one officer and biting two officers, investigators said. The bites were strong enough to break skin, and both of the officers who were bitten required medical attention at the hospital, according to the criminal complaint.
Reed also slipped out of her handcuffs twice before the officers finally placed her in custody, the criminal complaint said.
The incident was caught on camera.
“Dick’s Sporting Goods has store security,” Abington Police Chief Patrick Molloy said. “They observed five females working together, selecting items and concealing them in bags without making any effort to stop at the register to pay for them. When an officer is in full uniform and we receive information about the reasonable suspicion or even probable cause that a crime may have been committed, we do have the authority to stop you to identify you and subsequently search you.”
Police recovered 54 stolen items with a total value of $1,899 from the teen girls, NBC10 said.
Reed is charged with aggravated assault, escape, retail theft, receiving stolen property, resisting arrest, simple assault and harassment. She’s currently out on unsecured bail. The four other teen girls were charged as juveniles with theft.
Chief Molloy told NBC10 retail theft is a growing problem and a gateway to other crimes.
“People are more willing to resist and fight with police officers or challenge our authority,” he said.
NBC10’s video coverage is below:
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Screengrab: NBC10