Tatiana Duva-Rodriguez, 46, is licensed to carry a concealed weapon, but police said she should not have opened fire because her life was not in danger.
Pursued by security guards, a shopflifter ran from a Home Depot hardware store on 6 October to a vehicle driven by an accomplice.
Ms Rodriguez fired several shots with a 9mm handgun as they drove away.
No-one was hurt outside the store in Auburn Hills, Michigan, about 35 miles (56km) north of Detroit. Police said Ms Rodriguez had hit the back tyre of the getaway vehicle.
"I find it very disturbing that someone would take out their gun in a busy parking lot and shoot at the tyres of a passing car," prosecutor Jessica Cooper said in a statement. "Once fired, the bullet could have easily ricocheted or fragmented and injured or killed someone else."
The thieves escaped with $1,000 (Â£652) worth of merchandise. Police arrested two people few days later and charged them with retail fraud.
If convicted, Ms Rodriguez faces up to 90 days in jail and a possible fine of up to $500.
A Michigan woman has been charged with recklessness after she fired on a pair of shoplifters.