Video of Pierce County pepper spray robbery goes viral. Here’s a case update

A video showing an incident where a Gig Harbor store employee was pepper-sprayed during a robbery earlier this year gained attention on social media after an altered version was posted online. The incident occurred on March 30, when two men allegedly stole several bottles of alcohol from a store while one suspect pepper-sprayed an employee who was recording them with a cellphone. They left the scene with a female driver waiting in a car outside the store.

The Gig Harbor Police Department shared the video of the robbery on April 21 and announced that one of the suspects, a 19-year-old male, was arrested, while they continued searching for a second suspect. An altered version of the video appeared on Reddit’s r/Unexpected subreddit on Thursday, garnering 10,000 upvotes before being removed by moderators for not meeting submission criteria.

The modified video featured a dubbed voice warning about the potential use of pepper spray, alongside sound effects not present in the original recording. Gig Harbor Detective Sergeant Jarab Daniel confirmed to The News Tribune that the footage shared by police accurately reflected the evidence they possess, but refrained from commenting on other potentially altered videos.

The arrested individual pleaded guilty to charges of robbery and assault on July 17 and is currently serving a prison sentence of one year and eight months. The police had tracked him down using a vehicle license plate provided by a witness, leading to his apprehension without incident. The store employee experienced discomfort from the pepper spray exposure but did not require medical assistance. She claimed that the suspect took approximately six bottles of whiskey.