A liquor store employee recounted via TikTok how a robber pepper sprayed him and his colleague in the process of stealing just a bottle of vodka.
User Avery (@lanadelgay98) starts on the video posing for the camera with his hands in a peace sign, saying he’s “looking cute post-robbery.”
He goes on to explain that someone went to the liquor store where he works and stole a bottle of liquor and “apparently felt the need to spray us with pepper spray to get this bottle.”
“He looked at me and thought I was gonna put up a fight and that pepper spray was necessary,” Avery says sarcastically.
He proceeds to set the camera down and move back in the frame so people can see his full body, smiles uncomfortably, and shakes his head in disbelief.
“I’m not gonna risk my life over a bottle of vodka,” he adds.
@lanadelgay98 Watch to the end for the security footage!! #robbery #getawaycar ♬ Getaway Car – Taylor Swift
Luckily for Avery, he wasn’t the one ringing up the thief, so when the person unleashed the pepper spray he was safely behind his co-worker. Avery joked that if he did get hit by the substance he, “would have died like 100%.”
In the camera footage at the end of the video, the thief pretends to pull out their wallet and instead sprays the cashier before casually walking out with the bottle of vodka in hand. Avery is seen on the far left, ducking for cover. The thief seems to spray directly at Avery as he walks out, but Avery is already squatted down on the floor. The TikToker’s co-worker is also seen crawling out of the register area once the thief is out of the store.
The video has garnered more than 300,000 views since it was posted on March 5.
“The pepper spray is absolutely wild they did it so nonchalant,” one commenter reacted.
“The way he spritzed y’all with it like he was working in a mall kiosk and just sampling the [sparkle emoji] perfume [sparkle emoji] has me DYING,” another said.
Other commenters were confused by the thief’s plan.
“He could’ve just walked out why pretend to pay then spray,” one user questioned.
“Honestly insulting that he thought you would care about that bottle of vodka,” a second added.
The Daily Dot reached out to Avery via TikTok comment but did not immediately hear back.