A Walmart shoplifter caused a lot of chaos in one of the retailer’s branches at Loudoun County, Virginia, on January 2, 2021. The shoplifter shot a Sheriff’s deputy and two Walmart loss prevention officers who saw the man lifting goods from the store. According to reports, the deputy and Walmart guards are being treated for multiple gunshot wounds at a local hospital.
Authorities told reporters that the shooting started when loss prevention officers tried to take the man into one of the store’s offices after they saw him stealing things off the shelves. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said that two deputies reported to the scene to take the suspect into custody. In the struggle that ensued, the shoplifter took a gun from the waistband of his trousers and began shooting.
One of the Sheriff’s deputies and the two-loss prevention officers were hit, according to the Sheriff’s Office statement. The statement also revealed that the Sheriff’s deputy was struck multiple times in the gunfire. Michael Chapman, Loudoun Country Sheriff, told reporters that the second deputy at the scene shot the suspect, but his injuries were not grave enough to stop him from running out of the store and stealing a getaway vehicle, CNN reports.
“I don’t know where he was struck, but he was still able to dash out of the store and jump into a truck that was in the parking lot and drive away,” Chapman said.
According to local authorities, the suspect’s getaway truck had been sitting behind the store and the keys were in it, so it was easy for the injured suspect to drive away from the scene. He was later apprehended, authorities said. After a lookout alert for the stolen vehicle was issued, officers of the Fairfax County Police Department apprehended the suspect.
Chapman told reporters that the suspect, a man in his early 20s, is currently being treated for his gunshot wounds at a local hospital. The Sheriff stated that the other victims did not suffer life-threatening injuries, and they are expected to recover. The suspect has not been charged, at the time of writing, according to authorities.
Source: fox5dc.com
