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Improvised flamethrower helps shoplifter escape 7-Eleven, California police say

The woman directed a gout of flame toward the clerk’s face, police say.
The woman directed a gout of flame toward the clerk’s face, police say. Getty Images/iStockphoto

A shoplifter confronted while stealing food used an improvised flamethrower to escape, California police reported.

The woman used an aerosol can and lighter to send a gout of flame toward the clerk’s face at about 3:20 a.m. Nov. 12, Manhattan Beach police said in a weekly crime log.

The clerk was not hurt in the incident at a 7-Eleven store in the Southern California community, police said.

The woman ran away, police said. Officers checked the area and could not find her.

Manhattan Beach is about a 20-mile drive southwest from downtown Los Angeles.

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This story was originally published November 19, 2024 at 9:36 AM with the headline "Improvised flamethrower helps shoplifter escape 7-Eleven, California police say."

DS
Don Sweeney
The Sacramento Bee
Don Sweeney has been a newspaper reporter and editor in California for more than 35 years. He is a service reporter based at The Sacramento Bee.
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