Authorities are trying to identify a man who reportedly threatened to shoot a Walmart employee who stopped the suspect when he allegedly was leaving the store without paying for a cart full of alcohol. The customer never brandished a gun during the encounter, Eureka Police reported.
Surveillance video captured the incident, which happened at about 8:45 p.m. April 11 at Walmart, 131 Eureka Towne Center Drive. The man was wearing a white baseball hat; dark-plaid, button-up shirt; blue jeans; and black-and-white tennis shoes, the report said.
The suspect appeared to be pushing a cart full of alcohol out of the store, and the employee stopped the man, who then appeared to reach behind his back but did not pull out a weapon, according to the report.
The employee let the man leave the store after the encounter, and the man was seen getting into a red Dodge Charger that was driven away from the store, Eureka Police reported.
The video also allegedly showed at least eight bottles of Tito’s vodka and three cases of Bud Light beer in the cart. Altogether the alcohol was worth $286.26. However, investigators believe more alcohol was in the cart, but it could not be identified in the video, the report said.
As of April 21, none of the alcohol had been recovered, and the man in the video had not been identified, Lt. Michael Werges said. Anyone with information about the incident should call Eureka Police at 636-938-6600.