Montgomery County police are seeking help in identifying two women that walked into Shoppers Food Warehouse in Germantown and assaulted a store clerk in an attempt to steal baby formula.
Surveillance images taken Aug. 11 show two women walking into the Shoppers pushing a double stroller.
"They demanded the baby formula, which was being kept in a locked case," police officer Rick Goodale said.
The 47-year-old female clerk refused to hand over the formula without them paying for it first, Goodale said.
"At that point, one of the suspects went behind the counter and violently assaulted the clerk," he said.
Photos show one of the women grabbing the clerk by the hair. It appears from video she tried to grab the formula from the clerk. As the fight ensues, the other woman left the the stroller she was pushing and joined the struggle.
As other employees began to notice the altercation, they went to help the woman.
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The struggle continued for a few more moments before the two women finally left the store without the formula.
After the attempted robbery, the Shoppers employee was taken to a hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Baby formula is expensive and is something criminals are known to steal and sell for a profit, Goodale said. Earlier this summer, a man was charged for stealing $12,000 worth of baby formula, he said.
It’s not clear what the women intended to do with the formula, but they could face assault charges in the attempted robbery, police said.
Those with information about the attempted robbery or the suspects are asked to call police at 240-773- 5070. Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-8477.
Crime Solvers pays a cash reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to arrests and indictments.
