New Hartford, NY -- Three Syracuse women escaped being stopped by loss prevention officers at a New Hartford store Wednesday by swinging an occupied baby carrier at one of the store’s loss prevention officers and spraying pepper spray on the store employee and shoppers, New Hartford police said.

After the incident, which occurred at the Walmart store on Commercial Drive in the Oneida County town, the three women were stopped by police on the New York State Thruway.

Tayonda Durham, 25, of 217 Hawley Ave., Billie L. Goode, 28, of 1022 W. Colvin St., and Harlyn D. McBean, 29, of 223 Holland St., were charged with criminal possession of stolen property and grand larceny, both felonies, and criminal possession of an anti-security item, a misdemeanor.

Loss prevention officers at Walmart attempted to stop the three after the women tried to leave the store without paying for more than $1,100 in merchandise, police said.

Goode repeatedly swung the baby carrier containing her 3-week-old daughter at the loss prevention officer to avoid being taken into custody and used the carrier to repeatedly push the officer away from her, police said.

Durham then sprayed the pepper spray on the Walmart loss prevention officer and on bystanders before all three escaped into McBean’s car and drove away, police said.

The description of McBean’s 2005 Chevrolet Impala and its license plate were broadcast to other law enforcement agencies and state police located the vehicle on the Thruway near Syracuse, police said.

Police discovered other bags in the vehicle containing more than $1,000 of stolen merchandise from stores in the Sangertown Mall, police said.

Goode also was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. Durham also was charged with unlawful possession or selling noxious material and criminal contempt, both misdemeanors.

A loss prevention officer was taken to a hospital after suffering an allergic reaction to the pepper spray, police said. The baby was not injured and was turned over to a relative, police said.