Liquor store employee being pepper sprayed by thief over vodka bottle

A liquor store employee told TikTok how a robber pepper-sprayed him and his colleague as he stole a bottle of vodka.
User Avery (@lanadelgay98) starts the video posing for the camera with his hands in a peace sign and says he “looks cute after the robbery”.
He goes on to explain that someone went into the liquor store where he works and stole a bottle of liquor and “apparently felt the need to pepper spray us to get that bottle.”
“He looked at me and thought I was going to fight back and that the pepper spray was necessary,” says Avery sarcastically.
He continues to set the camera down and step back in frame so people can see his full body, smiling uneasily and shaking his head in disbelief.
“I will not risk my life for a bottle of vodka,” he adds.
@lanadelgay98 Watch the safety video to the end!! #robbery #getawaycar ♬ Getaway Car – Taylor Swift
Luckily for Avery, he wasn’t the one who called the thief, so he was safely behind his colleague when the person unleashed the pepper spray. Avery joked that if he had been hit by the substance, he “100% would have died.”
In the camera shot at the end of the video, the thief pretends to pull out his wallet and instead sprays the cashier before casually walking out with the bottle of vodka in hand. Avery can be seen on the far left, crouching for cover. The thief appears to be spraying directly at Avery as he exits, but Avery is already crouched on the floor. The TikToker’s colleague is also seen crawling out of the checkout area once the thief has left the store.
The video has garnered more than 300,000 views since it was posted on March 5th.
“The pepper spray is absolutely wild, they did it so casually,” responded one commenter.
“The way he sprayed you guys with it like he works in a kiosk in a mall and just tastes that [sparkle emoji] Perfume [sparkle emoji] made me DIE,” said another.
Other commentators were puzzled by the thief’s plan.
“He could have just walked out, why pretend to pay and then sprayed,” asked one user.
“Honestly insulting that he thought you would take care of that bottle of vodka,” added a second.
The Daily Dot contacted Avery via TikTok comment but didn’t get an immediate response.

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*Initial publication: March 9, 2023 7:32 am CST
Stacy Fernandez
Stacy Fernández is a freelance writer, project manager and communications specialist. She has worked for The Texas Tribune, The Dallas Morning News and Social Social for The Education Trust New York. Her favorite hobby is finding hidden gems in thrift stores, she loves good audio books and is a chocolate enthusiast.
https://www.dailydot.com/irl/liquor-store-employee-pepper-sprayed-thief-vodka-bottle/ Liquor store employee being pepper sprayed by thief over vodka bottle