Armed man with hatchet prompts Walmart closure in Santee, California. No injuries reported. Suspect in custody for mental health evaluation.
On Sunday, a man who was armed with a hatchet began making threats inside of a Walmart in Santee, which resulted in the business having to close for approximately seven hours.
According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (SDSO), a man entered the Walmart that is located at 170 Town Center Parkway at approximately 12:05 p.m., climbed on top of some shelves, and then threatened customers shopping inside the store. The man had armed himself with dumbbells and threatened to use them as weapons, prompting colleagues to call the authorities.
The suspect was discovered to be armed with two knives, a hatchet, and a hatchet when the deputies arrived. According to the SDSO, the suspect threatened to kill deputies and stated that he wanted them to shoot him.
Deputy sheriffs worked to defuse the potentially explosive scenario by evacuating the store and then closing it for several hours. Lt. Michael Pepin reported that the individual, who was only described as being 22 years old, was taken into custody at approximately 7:30 p.m. and transported to a location for a mental health evaluation.
The Walmart was able to reopen its doors around 9:30 o’clock that evening. In relation to the incident, there were no reports of any injuries being sustained.
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