ABOVE: Francisco Franco’s booking photo (Chico PD)
CHICO — Police arrested a 57-year-old man after being called to the scene of an attempted shoplifting that had reportedly escalated to assault with a deadly weapon on August 5th.
Late that afternoon, Francisco Manuel Franco had walked into Anthony’s Liquor and allegedly tried to steal a bottle of alcohol, which was noticed by both a store clerk and a customer.
The two confronted him and asked him to put it back, at which point police say Franco became combative, swinging the bottle around and breaking it, then swinging it again at the customer, cutting him several times.
The clerk and other customers managed to tackle Franco to the floor, where he continued to lash out, striking his head against the concrete and cutting himself above his eye.
Nonetheless, they held him until police arrived and took him into custody at about 6 PM.
He was promptly treated at a local medical center and then booked into the Butte County Jail on suspicion of robbery, criminal threats, and assault with a deadly weapon.
Police believe Franco was also intoxicated at the time.
