SHAWANO, WI- A shoplifting incident at Charlie’s County Market in Shawano escalated into a dangerous situation when a suspect allegedly threatened store staff with a knife.
Speaking at this week’s Shawano Common Council meeting, Shawano Police Chief Mike Musolff said the incident reflects a concerning increase in theft-related crimes the department has been seeing.
“It seems as though there’s a lot more people that are taking things that don’t belong to them, and that’s unfortunate,” Musolff said.
According to Musolff, the suspect allegedly attempted to steal from the store and was confronted by employees. During the confrontation, the suspect indicated he had a knife.
“When somebody takes something that’s property and then they threaten you with a knife, that’s pretty significant,” Musolff said.
The incident occurred while several customers were inside the store, including elderly shoppers. Musolff said the situation could have ended much differently.
“Obviously, when somebody says they have a knife, the best thing to do is back off and call law enforcement,” he said.
Musolff credited a store employee with helping stop the threat, saying the employee appeared to be acting out of concern for both personal safety and the safety of others in the store.
The chief noted that situations like this can become dangerous very quickly and serve as a reminder for the public to use caution when confronting suspected thieves.
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