“She’s Not Stealing the Crown Jewels”: Woman Pepper Sprayed Over Alleged Drink Theft

A video showing a woman being pepper sprayed inside a 7-Eleven has gone viral after being reposted by X user @TonyLaneNV.

In the video, the woman appears to be leaving the store with a beverage she allegedly did not pay for. However, the door seems to be locked. A store worker can be heard yelling at her and asking, "Why are you being like that?" while pointing pepper spray in the direction of her face.

Woman Pepper Sprayed During Alleged Shoplifting Incident at 7-Eleven

After yelling at the woman, the clerk can then be seen releasing the spray, hitting the woman directly in the eyes. She can be heard apologizing as she wipes her eyes and struggles to regain her vision. The worker tells her to put the drink down, and she walks over and places the item he believes she didn't pay for on the counter. The argument persists after she places the drink on the counter.

The clerk continues arguing with her while she remains locked inside the store. After being sprayed, the woman's hands can be seen shaking, and she appears to become increasingly panicked as the pepper spray affects her vision. At one point, she yells, "I did," seemingly referring to returning the item to the counter after being accused of stealing it.

The clerk continues shouting at her and can even be seen grabbing for her purse while she struggles to regain her vision after being pepper sprayed.

While it's illegal to steal merchandise from a store regardless of the value, the video has sparked a debate online because many viewers believe the clerk may have gone too far in his response. One person blatantly stated, "Maybe this will teach her that stealing is not for her. I love it."

Another user pointed out that the woman attempted to return the item, writing that "the idiots did not believe her." A third commenter wrote, "She got what she asked for," before adding, "Well, more than she asked for." And others also defended the clerk's actions. "So there's just supposed to get away with walking away with stealing something? There's consequences to your actions. Don't try to steal something and these kind of things won't happen," one person argued.

Meanwhile, another commenter questioned whether the response was proportional. "What if she had severe asthma and the pepper spray caused full-blown respiratory arrest? Would 7-11 want that on YouTube? Critical thinking leads to competent decisions. Shoplifters have the right not to be assaulted."

And that's where much of the debate seems to stem from — proportional response, as the X user who reposted the video pointed out in their caption. While theft is a punishable crime, many viewers believe the punishment should fit the offense. While some people on X think the woman deserved what happened, others argue that pepper spraying someone over a drink that may have cost just a few dollars crossed a line.

The Daily Dot could not independently verify the claims surrounding the incident, which are based solely on footage shared on social media.