A 45-year-old Riverdale woman slipped out of her handcuffs and escaped through an open patrol car window while Alpharetta officers were distracted by a medical episode involving her co-suspect, according to Appen Media reporter Jon Wilcox, who reported the incident Thursday, July 30.

The escape happened the night of Wednesday, July 15, after officers responded to a shoplifting call at a North Point Parkway store around 9:20 p.m. A store manager told police two women were inside removing clothing, Alpharetta police said.

Officers arrested both women outside the store: the 45-year-old Riverdale woman and a 31-year-old Peachtree Corners woman. During a search of the Riverdale woman, police found two glass pipes on her person.

The escape

While officers processed the arrests, the Peachtree Corners woman resisted and suffered what police described as a "supposed seizure." Officers noted she verbally responded to them during the episode.

With attention on the medical situation, the Riverdale woman is suspected of slipping free of her handcuffs in the back of a patrol car, reaching her hand through the open window to unlatch the door from outside, and fleeing on foot.

The patrol car's camera wasn't working.

Police deployed a K-9 unit and searched for roughly an hour but did not locate the woman. She remains at large as of July 30.

Charges filed

The Riverdale woman faces five charges: theft by taking, theft by shoplifting, escape, obstruction, and possession of drug-related objects.

The Peachtree Corners woman was charged with theft by shoplifting, obstruction, and aiding or permitting another to escape lawful custody.

No names have been released publicly. The specific store has not been identified.

The incident occurred along the North Point Parkway retail corridor near North Point Mall, one of Alpharetta's busiest commercial areas. Anyone with information about the Riverdale woman's whereabouts can contact the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety.