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California police slammed for detaining bystanders after attempted robbery at Macy’s

At least six male suspects entered the San Jose store and allegedly assaulted a female worker before fleeing

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA: An investigation has been launched into an attempted robbery at a Macy’s store in San Jose after at least six male suspects entered the store and allegedly assaulted a female worker. However, they escaped the scene before being arrested. The incident that happened on Saturday, December 18, also saw two people getting detained for reportedly interfering with the cops' bid to apprehend the perpetrators.

According to police, around six to eight male suspects arrived at the Westfield Oakridge Mall’s Macy's at six in the evening to rob the department store. But when workers of Macy's loss prevention team confronted them, one of them physically assaulted a female staff member. The woman reportedly suffered minor to moderate injuries.

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Authorities said that before they reached the place, the suspects had fled. However, a woman and a boy were detained because they apparently interfered with an attempted arrest of the alleged robbers. Police have also clarified that the detained people had no links with the suspects. But some people have slammed cops for detaining the pair as they accused them of being too hard on them.

Anna Hamed, the daughter of the woman who was detained, said: “The officers decides to get excessively close to my mom, and essentially grabs her arm. She had to fling his arm off and he got more upset when she was saying what he was doing was wrong. And that’s when he decided to grab her and slam her to the floor.”

Marcella Ruiz, who was also present there on Saturday, added, “At one point, I thought he was going to attack me as soon as he started coming in that direction. I backed up because I was afraid.”

Reportedly, California has recently been marred by organized retail thefts. Last month, Kevin Nishita, a retired police officer and armed guard who gave security to several reporters in the region, was fatally shot during an attempted robbery of KRON-TV's camera equipment.

Police union leaders on the West Coast believe that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and its support of Proposition 47 and bail reform were responsible for this. Sean Pritchard, the president of the San Jose Police Officers Association, told Fox News Digital in November, “Across the country the ACLU is pushing for no bail or drastically reduced bail similar to what the hate-filled repeat offender Darrell Brooks was out on prior to him running down and killing innocent people at the Waukesha, Wisconsin, Christmas parade.”

Pritchard added: “If Brooks was held in custody for his most recent offense on a bail amount commensurate with his extensive criminal history then those innocent parade goers would be alive today.”

Meanwhile, people on the internet have also reacted to the latest case at Macy’s and took the side of the cops. A user tweeted, “This stops all smash and grabs. Why aren’t stores connecting these to panic switches and trapping them inside.” The second user wrote, “Too bad if anyone interfering w/officers was slammed to ground. Mind your business & leave ‘em alone to do their jobs. They don’t know your motives!” “You get what you tolerate. If someone interferes then they are aiding & abetting. It isn’t hard to stop these looters; the fact that an officer was killed amplifies the need for strong tactics. Set bail at $1M, 10-yr with no parole & gun permits to guards,” the third user added.