Man accused of assaulting employee, stealing video game console from Santa Barbara GameStop

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - A man was arrested Thursday near Paseo Nuevo in Santa Barbara after he allegedly assaulted a GameStop employee and made off with a video game console.

Around 1 p.m., Santa Barbara police said a 24-year-old man entered the GameStop and got into a verbal fight with the cashier.

The two then reportedly got into a tug-of-war with a console. The man eventually pushed the cashier to the ground and left the store with the console without paying.

The cashier got up and tried to stop the man, however, the man assaulted the cashier outside the store and left the area.

While it is unclear what type of injuries the cashier sustained, police said he did not require hospitalization. Unable to walk on his own, the cashier was helped back to the store where they called 911. An AMR ambulance responded with medics to treat the cashier's injuries. No weapons were involved.

Responding police spoke with multiple witnesses in the area and began searching for the suspect.

Within 30 minutes, officers located the alleged thief not far from the store, in the area of Canon Perdido and Chapala streets.

The man was arrested without further incident and the stolen video game console was found in his possession. It is unclear what type of console was stolen.