Police say a Delaware County woman returned to a store where she'd been banned and pepper-sprayed employees before yelling to her 7-year-old stepdaughter to join the fight.
Upper Darby police say Delaina Garling, 27, went to the Family Dollar Store on Monday, where she'd been banned for allegedly stealing items. When employees tried to escort her and her two young children from the premises, that's when police maintain, she got violent, peppering spraying an employee.
“The manager then proceeds to get into a fight with the woman at the front door of the store… During the course of the fight the pepper spray falls on the ground and the woman is hollering to her daughter, “get it, spray it, get it spray it,’” Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood told NBC10's Monique Braxton.
Chitwood says a second employee who already called 911 was able to get the spray from the child.
“You see the little boy hand the little girl the pepper spray and then it’s taken off of her by the second employee,” he said.
Chitwood says the girl never shot the spray can.
Police found drugs including marijuana and pills on Garling during her arrest, he said.
According to court records, Garling was arraigned Wednesday on simple assault, drug possession and other charges. She was sent to county jail unable to post 10 percent of $30,000 bail.
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Garling has a history of retail issues including twice pleading guilty to retail theft, according to court records.
A spokesman said Family Dollar had no comment about the incident.
According to officials, the two children are with their father and representatives from Children and Family Services are investigating.
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