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Knife-Wielding Suspect Arrested After Allegedly Shoplifting $600+ Worth Of Items From Auburn Grocery Store

AUBURN (CBS13) — A man armed with a knife suspected of shoplifting hundreds of dollars worth of items from an Auburn grocery store was arrested after a tense standoff with deputies.

The Placer County Sheriff's Office says, late on the night of July 9, deputies responded to the Auburn Bel Air store to investigate a petty theft report.

Deputies were told that a man had walked out of the store with over $640 worth of items he allegedly didn't pay for.

In the parking lot, deputies say they found the man - identified as 62-year-old Auburn resident Richard Cooke - holding a six-inch knife. Deputies ordered Cooke to drop the knife, but he allegedly refused to do so and instead started walking towards Highway 49.

On July 9th at 11 p.m., Placer County Sheriff's deputies responded to a petty theft at the Bel Air in Auburn. The...

Posted by Placer County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Less-lethal methods were then attempted, but deputies say they had no effect on Cooke.

At some point, Cooke allegedly threw the knife over his head - narrowly missing the deputies behind him.

The deputies were eventually able to subdue him and Cooke was arrested.

Cooke is now facing charges of resisting arrest, brandishing a weapon to resist arrest, assaulting a peace officer, petty theft, and a parole violation.

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