Shoplifter threatens California Walmart employees with a gun

Occurred January 13, 2015.


A man attempted to shoplift a large number of items from a Walmart store in Clovis, California, when loss prevention employees tried to stop him.  The man then threatened them with a handgun and fled with the help of an accomplice.  Luckily, no one was injured.

From an article:

Clovis police are searching for two suspects who stole $800 worth of merchandise at gunpoint Tuesday night from the Walmart located at 323 West Shaw Ave.

Sgt. Lonnie Amerjan said that one of the men entered the Walmart just before 5:30 p.m. and began to load a shopping cart with expensive items from different areas of the store.

Loss prevention officers grew suspicious of the man and stopped him as he tried to leave.

The man then drew what was described as a black, semi-automatic handgun and pointed it at the two loss prevention personnel, who allowed him to pass with the cart.

The man then pushed the cart out to a small, silver compact car with paper license plates driven by an unknown person. He loaded the stolen goods, and the car exited the shopping center onto westbound Shaw Avenue.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/01/13/4329229_police-investigating-armed-robbery.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy

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Shoplifter threatens Walmart security guard with gun in Philadelphia

Occurred January 10, 2015.


A man went into a Walmart store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and shoplifted a 50" TV.  When security confronted him, he threatened them with a gun, then fled.

From an article:

In a brazen armed robbery, a suspect walked into a 24-hour Wal-Mart located at 1675 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd. in the city's Pennsport neighborhood around 1:55 a.m., grabbed a 50-inch television and headed for the exit, police said.

A store security guard stopped the suspect before he left the store, which is just north of Pier 70,  but the man pulled back his shirt to reveal a weapon tucked into his waistband -- all while other shoppers were nearby, authorities said.

The suspect then fled the store in an unknown direction.

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Walmart employee shot to death in his car at Chicago Walmart

Occurred January 8, 2015.

Scene of fatal shooting at Chicago Walmart (source)

(UPDATED -- See below)

A male employee of a Walmart store in Chicago, Illinois, was found shot several times in his car, in the parking lot.  No suspect has yet been caught.

From an article:

Police are investigating a fatal shooting in the parking lot of a Walmart in Bedford Park, near the border with Chicago.

Bedford Park police said they responded to a 911 call and found an unresponsive male shot several times in the front seat of a vehicle. A Walmart spokesperson said the victim is a Walmart associate.

The victim was taken to Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, where he died.

The parking lot is cordoned off, but the Walmart at 7050 S. Cicero remains open.

Bedford Park police and the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force are investigating. There is no suspect in custody.

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UPDATE (1/10/15):   The victim has been identified as Stephen Sims, age 20.

UPDATE (3/15/15):  The victim, Stephen Sims, had previously lost his mother, 5 year old stepbrother, and stepmother in two other incidents of gun violence.  From an article:

In 1998, Stephen Sims, 20, lost his mother to gun violence in Roseland. In 2013, he lost his 5-year-old brother, Sterling, and his stepmother to an armed robbery after the family refused to hand over their belongings.

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Shoplifter threatens Walmart employee with gun in Washington state

Occurred December 26, 2014.

Scene of armed shoplifting at Lacey Walmart (screenshot source)

(UPDATED -- See below)

A man by the name of Jonathan Langford entered a Walmart store in Lacey, Washington, and tried to shoplift a Dyson vacuum cleaner.  When a security guard confronted him and took him to the security office, Langford pulled out a handgun and threatened him with it, then fled through the store waving the gun, sending shoppers running in panic.

After a "small tussle," Langford fled with the help of a getaway driver.

Luckily, no shots were fired.

He is still at large.

From an article and news video:

Langford had people running for the doors on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

He was pulled into the security office for attempting to steal a Dyson vacuum Friday afternoon. That’s when he pulled out the handgun and ran from the store.

"He pulled the gun from his waistband, a small tussle ensued, and from there -- he fled the building,” said Detective Miguel Stansberry with the Lacey Police Department.

Customers saw Langford with that gun as he left the Walmart.

"We heard a lady come screaming, and then we saw a whole bunch of people coming toward the back of the store,” said Nathaniel Hemby, a shopper.

No shots were fired.

Lacey Police Department says Langford got into a car and drove out of the lot.

Detectives are investigating the store.

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UPDATED (12/30/14):   The suspect, Jonathan Langford, was arrested in Astoria, Oregon, and will be extradited.

Walmart workers shot at while in parking lot of store in California

Occurred December 23, 2014.


Two Walmart employees were working outside their store in Stockton, Walmart, when they were shot at from a nearby house.  Luckily, they took cover and were not hit.

From an article:

Two employees of the Walmart on East Hammer Lane were working outside behind the store around 10:09 p.m. Tuesday when they heard gunshots and the “whiz” of bullets flying past them, police reported.

They quickly took cover inside the store, unsure where the shots were coming from. They described hearing three to four gunshots from what sounded like a .22-caliber weapon, according to a report.

Video surveillance recorded muzzle flashes from a house nearby, and responding officers checked the residence but no one came to the door. And no shell casings were found around the home, according to police.

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Men fire gun during shoplifting of TV at Dallas Walmart

Occurred November 18, 2014.


Two men went into a Walmart store in Dallas and attempted to shoplift a TV.  When store security confronted the men, the men threatened the employees with a gun and fired the gun in the air, then fled.

A police chase ensued, eventually capturing both suspects, one of whom accidentally fired his gun.

From an article and news video:

It started at the Walmart in Cedar Hill and ended near Interstate 20 on Camp Wisdom Road in Southwest Dallas.

Police say two men each stole a television from the store around 2:15 a.m. and employees chased them into the parking lot. One suspect showed an employee his gun and fired it into the air.

No one was hurt, but Dallas police say the suspects sped away in a green Toyota Camry.

Cedar Hill officers caught up with them six blocks away and chased them into a Southwest Dallas neighborhood, where the men crashed into a parked car and a fence.

The suspects ran away from the scene while the Dallas Police Department's helicopter and Cedar Hill's K-9 unit were dispatched. A police K-9 found one of the suspects; the chopper found the other.

The second suspect's gun discharged by accident while he was arrested, but no one was injured.

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Two Walmart employees robbed at gunpoint at store parking lot in Texas

Occurred November 12, 2014.


Two Walmart employees were leaving their store in Houston, Texas, when two gunmen held them up and robbed them in the parking lot.

The suspects fled, but were soon captured by police.

No one was injured.

From an article:

Houston police said officers were quick to respond to reports of a robbery in the parking lot of a north side Walmart store.

The robbery happened around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday along the North Freeway at Crosstimbers.

The victims, who work at the store, told police that two men approached them at gunpoint and demanded their belongings and money. The suspects then jumped in a pickup and sped away.

Responding officers spotted the truck and took two suspects into custody. The victims' belongings were found inside the vehicle, police said.

No injuries were reported.

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Two shoplifters threaten Utah Walmart employee with handgun

Occurred November 3, 2014.


Two men, Tonga Angilau and Ammon Faamausili, both age 20, shoplifted from a Walmart store in West Jordan, Utah.  When confronted by security, they threatened the security guard with a handgun before fleeing.  

The two men were also responsible for shoplifting at another area Walmart Neighborhood Market.

Both men were arrested after one turned himself in.

From an article:

Tonga Angilau, 20, told investigators he confessed because of the media attention in the case, police said.

Ammon Faamausili, 20, robbed Wal-Mart with Angilau and was arrested Wednesday afternoon before Angilau turned himself in, according to West Jordan police.

The first robbery occurred Monday at the Wal-Mart at 7671 S. Campus View Drive, according to West Jordan police. The two men attempted to leave the store with unpaid merchandise and when a store security officer confronted the men, Angilau punched the employee repeatedly, police said. Faamausili, who was wearing a dark hoodie, displayed a handgun before the men fled.

The men then went to the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market at 3706 W. 9800 South and left with a cart full of miscellaneous items they hadn’t paid for, according to South Jordan police. One of the suspects ran at a store employee that followed the men out of the store, punching them to the ground.

Faamausili and Angilau were booked into the Salt Lake County Jail Wednesday in connection with two counts of robbery.

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Three gunmen rob safe from New Mexico Walmart and shoot at store

Occurred October 29, 2014.

Photo of one of the gunmen at Albuquerque Walmart (source)

Three men entered a Walmart store in Albuquerque, New Mexico and stole a cash drop safe from the store while threatening Walmart employees, then fired a shot back at the store with a firearm.

Luckily no one was injured.

From an article and news video:

Albuquerque police are looking for three men who stole the cash drop safe from the Wal-Mart at 400 Eubank NE just after midnight early Wednesday morning.

APD spokesperson Tanner Tixier said the men, who were armed, demanded the large safe from managers, who complied.

The suspects then took the safe out of the store and loaded it onto the back of a white '90s model Ford Ranger with an extended cab. Tixier said the truck also had a blue stripe along the bottom of it.

One of the suspects allegedly fired a shot back at the store as they fled in the truck, but no one was injured.

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Suicidal Walmart employee shot by officers in Toronto, Canada

Occurred December 18, 2014.


A Walmart store employee was behind the store in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, when police responded to an attempted suicide-by-knife.  The responding officers got into a confrontation with the man, possibly with the employee threatening them with the knife, who was then shot twice in the abdomen by the officers.

The man is now in critical condition.

From an article:

Police were dispatched to the store, near Kennedy Rd. and Sheppard Ave. E., after receiving a call about a man cutting his own wrists and throat with a large butcher knife, a police spokesperson told the Star.

“There was an interaction between the police and the man, resulting in the man being shot,” Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit said in a statement.

The SIU, which probes police-related incidents involving death, serious injury and allegations of sexual assault, is investigating the shooting.

Paramedics arrived on scene to find the man in life-threatening condition, suffering from two gunshot wounds to his abdomen. He was rushed to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre with a police escort.

According to a Walmart employee, who did not want to be identified, the man was behind the store, near the loading dock area south of Bonis Ave., when the shooting took place.

The employee was told by a store manager that the man was on his break when the shooting occurred.

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Gunman robs Florida Walmart liquor store and pistol whips employee

Occurred December 5, 2014.

A man entered a Walmart liquor store in Winter Haven, Florida, pulled out a handgun, and threatened two Walmart employees with it, robbing the store then pistol-whipping on of the employees before fleeing.

From an article:

Police say around 12:31 p.m., a man walked into the Walmart Liquor store at 7450 Cypress Gardens Blvd. and walked briefly around the store in an obvious attempt to see if there were any other customers present.

He then approached one counter, placing a small item to be scanned and immediately pulled a gun on the clerk. As the 75-year-old male clerk tried to open the drawer, the suspect hit him on the side of the head knocking him to the ground.

The suspect then turned to the 50-year-old female clerk directly behind him and demanded she open her drawer, which she attempts to do. The suspect then hit the female clerk two times on the side of the head and left the store empty-handed.

Both clerks were taken to Winter Haven Hospital to be treated for lacerations to the head. Both are expected to make a full recovery.

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Massachusetts couple purchase realistic-looking pellet gun at Walmart then rob the store with it

Occurred November 8, 2014.


A couple, Molly K. McKeen, 25, and Cortez D. Palmer, 37, walked into a Walmart store in Oxford, Massachusetts, and purchased, among other things, a realistic-looking pellet gun.

Shortly after leaving the store, Palmer returned and used the gun to threaten a Walmart clerk, demanding money.  The couple then fled.  Many other stores were also robbed, possibly with the same pellet gun.

From an article:

Molly K. McKeen, 25, of 6 Knox St., Worcester; and Cortez D. Palmer, 37, of 68 Merrick St., Worcester, allegedly entered the Walmart in Oxford on Nov. 8 and made several purchases, including a pellet gun, the affidavits on file in Central District Court said.

Surveillance footage obtained from the store shows Ms. McKeen using a debit/credit card to make the purchases. The two left the store, but Mr. Palmer returned with a black handgun, which authorities believe was the pellet gun just purchased, the records said.

Mr. Palmer is accused of approaching the guest services counter and telling the clerk to look down. He allegedly showed the clerk the handgun and demanded cash. The robbery netted $8,681, the affidavits said.

Ms. McKeen has been arraignedon a charge of unarmed robbery. Mr. Palmer faces several counts of unarmed robbery and one count of armed robbery in connection with a cluster of robberies in Worcester and other area towns. He also has been arraigned in Central District Court.

Worcester police said they linked six robberies to one or all of the suspects. Mr. Palmer allegedly robbed multiple supermarkets, a Walmart and one Dunkin' Donuts in the city from September to November.

Realistic-looking pellet guns have been used in numerous gun crimes at Walmart stores.

Despite this history, Walmart continues to sell many models of realistic-looking pellet, BB, and toy guns.

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TV shoplifters threaten Walmart employee with gun in Indiana

Occurred November 27, 2014.


Two men were seen stealing a TV from a Walmart store in Indianapolis, Indiana.  When a door greeter confronted the men, they pulled a gun on him and threatened him with it before fleeing.

From an article:

According to police, two men skipped the cash register and walked out with an $800 television. When confronted by the Wal-Mart greeters, one of the suspects pulled out a gun. The two men then made a dash to a dark-colored SUV.

Wal-Mart released photos of the suspects.

Many shoppers had no knowledge of the armed robbery inside the store as they did their last minute Thanksgiving day shopping.

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Shoplifters threaten Walmart store employees with gun in Oklahoma

Occurred November 19, 2014.

Scene of armed shoplifting at Tulsa Walmart (screenshot source)

Two suspects were seen shoplifting in a Tulsa, Oklahoma, Walmart.  When store employees confronted the men, one of the suspects threatened them with a handgun.  The suspects then fled in a getaway vehicle driven by a third person.  The car was later recovered and had been reported stolen two months before.

No shots were fired.

From an article:

The suspects were approached by employees who suspect the couple was shoplifting.
Police say that's when the man pulled back his jacket and flashed a gun.

A third person picked the suspects up in a Chevy Avalanche and headed north on Memorial.

Police say that car was reported stolen in Tulsa about two months ago.

Previous gun crimes in the last two years at Tulsa Walmart stores include a drug deal earlier this year where three people were shot and a robbery in 2013.

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Shoplifters threaten Texas Walmart employee with gun

Occurred November 13, 2014.


A man and woman were observed shoplifting items in a Texarkana, Texas, Walmart store.  When a store employee confronted them, one of the suspects pulled out a gun and threatened the employee.  The pair then fled, driving away.

From an article:

The incident happened around 3:45 a.m. at the Walmart in the 4000 block of New Boston Road. Police say a woman attempted to walk out of the store without paying for multiple items in her possession. As an employee confronted her to retrieve the stolen items, a man pulled out a gun. The two then fled the scene in a white car.

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New Orleans Walmart robbed at gunpoint

Occurred September 7, 2014. 


An masked man armed with a gun entered a new Walmart in New Orleans, Louisiana, and forced an employee to get money from the cash room, then fled.

From an article, which includes images of the robber:

The masked gunman gained entry to the store, 6000 Bullard Ave., around 1 a.m. Sunday (Sept. 7), and a forced an employee at gunpoint to a room where money is kept, according to NOPD.

The gunman, dressed in a black jacket, black shoes, a black ski mask and black pants with a light-colored stripe down the side, kicked open the door to the room and took a bag of money before leaving the store, police said.

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Nebraska Walmart clerk robbed at gunpoint

Occurred September 6, 2014.


A man went to a checkout at a Walmart store in Omaha, Nebraska, then robbed the clerk of his personal money as well as the register money, at gunpoint.  He then fled and has not been apprehended.

From an article:

Police say a masked man entered the store at South 50th and L streets just before 3 a.m., confronted an employee and pointed a gun at him, demanding money. After giving the suspect cash out of his pocket, the employee was told to get money from the register.

The suspect then grabbed the drawer from the register and ran from the store. Police found the unopened register drawer, the handgun and mask in the back yard of a home near South 50th Avenue and M Street.

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Gunman robs Pennsylvania Walmart of iPads

Occurred September 4, 2014.


A man walked into a Walmart store in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and threatened a clerk with a gun, telling the clerk to fill a duffel bag with iPads.  He then kept the clerk at gunpoint until they exited the building and he fled.

From an article:

The robber entered the store on Nazareth Pike (Route 191) about 8:15 p.m., and forced a cashier at gunpoint to fill a duffel bag with iPads. The robber then walked the cashier out of the store to the front of the nearby Giant Food Store at gunpoint before taking off on foot, police said.

The cashier was not hurt.

The robber was between 18 and 20 years old, 6-foot-3-inches tall and had a crew cut hairstyle. He wore a gray, hooded sweatshirt, black shorts and black sneakers.

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15-year old shoplifter threatens California Walmart security with gun

Occurred August 15, 2014.


A 15-year old boy was caught shoplifting by a Walmart security employee, in Sacramento, California.  When confronted, the boy pulled out a handgun and threatened the employee, then fled.  He was later captured by law enforcement.

Luckily, no one was harmed.

From an article:

Deputies have arrested a 15-year-old boy suspected of pointing a gun at a Walmart security officer Friday morning.

Lisa Bowman with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department says that the boy was confronted by the security officer of the Florin Road Walmart. The boy had allegedly stolen some items from the store.

During the confrontation, the boy allegedly pulled out a gun from his waistband and pointed it at the guard.

The boy then ran from the area and was able to board an RT bus. The boy got off near 47^th Avenue and Sampson Boulevard and was soon spotted by deputies. He ran again, but was soon caught by deputies along the 6300 block of Sampson Boulevard.

Robbery detectives will be interviewing the boy before he is booked into juvenile hall.

The article doesn't say how the boy got the gun.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult. 

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Man tries to rob Oklahoma Walmart, fails, then commits suicide when police confront him

Occurred June 19, 2014.


A man named Peter Cangemi III walked up to a cash register in a Walmart store in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and demanded cash with a gun.  When the clerk couldn't comply, the man fled.  Police chased after him, catching up to him in the bed of a truck where he had hitchhiked a ride.  The man then committed suicide with the gun, shooting himself in the head.

From an article:

Store employees told police the suspect had a gun and demanded money from the Customer Service desk. Employees couldn’t get the drawer open, so the man left without incident.

Police say witnesses saw the suspect leave on a motorcycle, which was later found abandoned in a wooded area about a mile north of the store.

Police soon after stopped a pick-up truck in the area. The driver and passenger followed orders given by the patrol officer, but a man in the bed of the truck stood up with a gun to his head, fired the gun and died at the scene.

The officer did not fire any shots.

The robbery suspect ended up in the truck after he asked the two for a ride.

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