A 31-year-old Ashburn woman was robbed at knifepoint and sprayed in the face with what is believed to be mace Thursday night in the Wal Mart parking lot. Law enforcement officers are urging holiday shoppers to use every precaution possible.

According to Shane Benefield, a detective at the Tifton Police Dept., the woman was shaken but not seriously injured.

“In this particular case, we are in the process of reviewing the video of it happening,” Benefield said. “There were several people in the parking lot at the time and we are encouraging anyone with any information to call us.”

Benefield said tipsters can remain anonymous and report information to the Tifton Police Dept. at 382-3132.

According to the police officer’s incident report, the incident occurred approximately 7:40 p.m. Wednesday. The woman, who is Hispanic, told him that she was about to get into her vehicle when a black female with a knife came from the front of her vehicle and stopped her from getting into her vehicle.

Then, the woman reported, another black female came from the rear area of her vehicle and sprayed her in the face with an unknown substance. One of the suspects then took the woman’s purse and both suspects ran east from the scene and got into a small black four-door car and left. Personnel with Tift County EMS checked the victim on the scene but she was not transported for treatment.

Benefield urges shoppers to use caution this shopping season.

“The way the economy has been, we need to make sure we always pay attention to our surroundings,” Benefield said.

Criminals are naturally going to assume women are easier targets than men, Benefield said.

“It could be that it is safer to shop in groups and ride along with others to shop,” Benefield said.

Additional holiday shopping and home safety tips include:

• Be aware of your surroundings and avoid concentrating so hard on shopping that you fail to keep track of your surroundings.

• Stay alert while loading and unloading items into or out of the vehicle or arranging packages.

• Carry car keys in your hand and be ready to unlock the door and enter as quickly as possible.

• As you approach your vehicle, scan the surrounding area and take a quick look inside your vehicle before entering.