Police were called to Newland Street in Worthing at around 1.15pm on Saturday (March 30) to a report of a suspected shoplifter threatening staff at a supermarket.
A police spokesperson said the suspect had left the scene in a vehicle:
"Officers attended the scene and stopped a vehicle nearby. A 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of theft from a shop, possession of a controlled Class A drug, and eight counts of common assault of an emergency worker. He remains in police custody at this time."