Two arrested by APD for strong-arm robbery

ATASCADERO — On Wednesday, June 12 at almost 6:30 p.m., the Atascadero Police Department (APD) received a report of a strong-armed robbery that had just occurred at the Walgreens Pharmacy, located in the 8000 block of El Camino Real. It was reported that one of the suspects assaulted a Walgreens employee and the suspects left in a vehicle.

According to a press release from APD, officers arrived on the scene and made contact with the injured employee, who told them the suspect was observed loading merchandise into a large trash bag inside the store. The employee told a coworker to call the police and watched as the suspect started to walk to the exit door. The employee followed the suspect and told him to stop, at which point the suspect hit the employee in the face. A second suspect was also seen exiting the store carrying unpaid merchandise in her arms. Both suspects got into a vehicle and left the scene.

The Walgreens employee sustained visible injuries as a result of the incident and later sought treatment at Twin Cities Community Hospital.

At about 8:40 p.m., the California Highway Patrol (CHP) called APD informing them that the suspects in the burglary incident had been taken into custody in Gonzales in Montery County.

CHP located the vehicle in Monterey County and attempted a traffic stop. However, the vehicle failed to yield and a pursuit began. The vehicle drove into a drainage ditch and the suspects fled on foot from the vehicle. They attempted to hide in a nearby culvert, but they were located and taken into custody.

APD officers responded to Gonzales, where they took custody of the suspects and recovered the stolen property. Additional property was located inside the vehicle, which remains under investigation by APD.

Nashawn Goldie Smith, 29 years from Stockton, was transported back to San Luis Obispo County and booked into Jail for the following charges: