Three Woman Shoplifting Gang Pepper Sprays Store Manager, Flees, But Is Caught Trying to Escape on Freeway

[Updated]  Three young women who allegedly pepper sprayed the manager of an East Pasadena retail clothing store before fleeing Thursday evening had just minutes earlier reportedly stolen clothing in an Old Pasadena store as well.

The trio was spotted trying to escape on the I-210 freeway by a Pasadena police helicopter crew, and arrested by ground units, Lt. William Grisafe said.

Grisafe said the three women were allegedly spotted stealing clothing from the Urban Outfitters at 139 West Colorado Boulevard in Old Pasadena about 4:50 p.m., but escaped.

The employees of that store had been on alert and recognized the trio from an earlier robbery at an Urban Outfitters in Burbank, Grisafe said.

Then at 5:23 p.m., the women entered a Tilly’s store in the 330 block of East Foothill Boulevard.

Confronted by the store’s manager, one of the women, later identified by police as LaLeah Cain, 21, of Los Angeles, pepper-sprayed the manager and the trio fled.

They were arrested a short time later.

Grisafe identified the other members of the gang taken into custody as Waynenasha Thomas, 19, of Lancaster and Tiara England, 25, of Palmdale.

Booking records show Cain and England were being held on $50,000 bail each while bail for Thomas is $120,000.