Police: Man flashes sword after shoplifting beer, boots from store

LONGVIEW, Wash. - A man flashed a samurai sword as he shoplifted from a store Monday, according to police.

It happened at the same store where a security guard was attacked with a hatchet recently.

No one was hurt. The suspect just flashed the sword and took off, cutting through a nearby apartment complex around 12:30.

The man was seen leaving the Longview Fred Meyer with a pair of boots and beer that appeared to be stolen. Loss prevention officers contacted him, and that's when they say he had something hidden inside his jacket. They say he pulled out a knife with a blade that was 18 inches long, similar to a samurai sword. The officers started backing up and that's when the suspect took off.

Neighbors at the apartment complex along the street said the suspect ditched the goods in a bush and then took off. They said they never saw him with a sword.

Last December, Adrian Kramer sliced off part of a security guard’s ear during a robbery at the same store. A judge recently sentenced him to nearly 35 years in prison, sending a strong message.

"Something like this cannot happen again. This cannot happen again," the judge said.

This time the sword wasn't used to injure anyone but neighbors are still shocked.

"I'm surprised somebody has that much cojones to try something stupid again like that, especially after what the first guy did and what time he's getting," said Robert Cooke who lives near the store.

A Fred Meyer spokesperson said they take the safety of their employees seriously and are looking into this incident to make sure they are doing everything they can.

Police are reviewing surveillance video to see if they can identify the suspect.