Trio of Girls Allegedly Cut Price Tags, Steal Clothes at Plaza

Two teenage girls were arrested and a third was briefly detained by Braintree police after they allegedly shoplifted at Spencer's Gifts and Hollister at the South Shore Plaza.

A 15-year-old from Boston and a 14-year-old from Mattapan were charged on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 29, with shoplifting from Spencer's and receiving stolen goods over $250 from Hollister, Deputy Chief Russell Jenkins said in a statement.

The manager of Spencer's told police that the two girls and a third, 16-year-old girl from Dorchester, came into the store on Saturday and the first two girls began cutting price tags off merchandise and putting it in their backpacks.

"The Boston and Mattapan girls were detained, but the third girl fled the store," Jenkins said. "The backpacks belonging to the two girls were searched and found to contain over $250 worth of merchandise from Hollister in one backpack and almost $300 worth of Hollister merchandise in the second backpack."

Police later found the 16-year-old girl at a bus stop but a search turned up no stolen goods, Jenkins said. The two girls who were charged were not named because of their age.