The fascinating story is about a shoplifter who was caught in the act.
The article goes on to describe the Walmart policy about non-forcible interference with shoplifters, which supposedly these guards violated.She and the other security employees at the Layton Walmart Supercenter had stopped a man who had unwrapped a laptop and hidden it under his clothes. Trent Allen Longton was taken into an office, where he handed over the merchandise.
When Longton was asked to sit down, he said he needed to leave. He told the group he had something on him that he couldn’t get caught with.
Poulsen watched as Longton, 25, reached to the small of his back and pulled out a gun, placed it on the side of his leg and cocked it. Poulsen announced "gun — hand" to let everyone know. Longton moved closer to the office door, where three other employees were standing. They raised their hands at the sight of the gun.Longton stood behind assistant manager Gabriel Stewart, holding his shoulder with one hand and the gun inside his pocket with the other.
Security workers Shawn Ray and Justin Richins each grabbed Longton by an arm and spun him around. Poulsen then took the gun away from the man.
What's your opinion? Don't you think Mr.Longton is fortunate that the Walmart guards didn't blow him away and make a case for lethal threat the way the cops do. When he took the gun out and racked the slide, couldn't that have been considered threatening? Is there any other reason to do that?
Longton reminds me of Gary Gilmore. Did you ever read any of his biographies. He had that same attitude about shoplifting, just take what you want.
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.
"What's your opinion? Don't you think Mr.Longton is fortunate that the Walmart guards didn't blow him away and make a case for lethal threat the way the cops do. "
ReplyDeleteMr. Longton was in no danger, Walmart security is unarmed. The unarmed security officers are fortunate that they did not get shot though.
Obviously Longton did not wish to hurt anyone or this would be a different story and you would claim that Longton was a lawful gun owner gone bad rather than a criminal and Jade would sagely claim that he has a CCW license, was an NRA board member and a racist.
FWM:
ReplyDelete. . . Jade would sagely claim that he has a CCW license, was an NRA board member and a racist.
And fat, and white.
But actually, we don't need to worry about the "lawful gun owner gone bad" argument:
Court records show Longton’s criminal history includes felony convictions for drug possession, which prohibits him from carrying a gun.
It's just (somehow) our fault that he wasn't (somehow) successfully disarmed in fact, as the law says he was supposed to be.
I surely hope there's some other information that just wasn't relayed in the article, because there's a serious gap of logic in what happened here.
ReplyDeleteHe shoplifted, OK. When he pulled a handgun out of his pocket and cocked it, the security guards going "hands-on" was no longer for shoplifting, it was for self defense against a criminal with a deadly weapon in his hand.
What the hell were they supposed to do if he decided to shoot them, make sure they didn't bleed on the gunman or they would have been fired for that instead?
...Orygunner...
Yeah, it sounds like the unarmed guards got a good screwin'.
ReplyDelete