KEY LARGO, Fla. – A store employee in Key Largo was arrested Thursday after she snatched a customer’s cellphone from her hand during a dispute, authorities said.
The incident was reported at the Sandal Factory.
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According to Monroe County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Becky Herrin, the victim was trying to purchase a dress from the store just before noon when she got into an argument with two women who were working there, including 25-year-old Marcella Rios.
Herrin said the argument started after the customer asked for the local residents’ discount, but could not prove that she lived in the area as she is a seasonal resident.
The dispute escalated, and after asking for the women’s name so she could file a complaint about them, they refused to identify themselves, Herrin said.
According to Herrin, the customer then tried to take a photo of them with her cellphone, but Rios snatched her phone from her hand.
Herrin said the woman was eventually able to retrieve her phone, at which time she took a photo of the store employees and then left the store before calling the Sheriff’s Office to report the incident.
Rios was arrested on charges of robbery by sudden snatching and theft.