Rite Aid employee knocked unconscious by shoplifter

A worker at Rite Aid was knocked unconscious Wednesday evening by a shoplifter she was trying to stop.

Spokane police were called to Rite Aid, 810 E. 29th Ave., about 7 p.m. after two males attempted to steal liquor, Spokane police said in a news release.

One shoplifter, who is under 18, shoved a Rite Aid employee who tried to stop him, police said. The man with the juvenile struck another Rite Aid worker in the head when she tried to intervene.

The worker was knocked unconscious and was treated at the scene by medics. Police said she did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

The two shoplifters fled the scene but one of the employees saw the car they entered and got the license plate number.

Police later arrested the juvenile, who was not named by police, and Brandi M. Farnworth, 24, who is suspected of being the shoplifters’ get-away driver. She is expected to face a first-degree robbery charge.

The other shoplifter remains at large. He is described as white, in his early 20s, about 5-foot-7, with a thin build. Police ask anyone with information on the man to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.