Police: Shoplifter showdown ends with thief grabbing gun

Tumwater, Wash. — Tumwater police said store surveillance video shows 30-year-old Jordan Yocum loading a cart with items at the Tumwater Walmart and heading straight for the door. "He bypasses the checkstand and doesn't even attempt to pay for his purchase," said Tumwater Detective Jen Kolb.

The video continues and you can see Yocum leaving with his stolen merchandise before he is confronted by a store security officer. The two men fight as the store manager comes running at full speed to help. It's at this point Yocum pulls a gun from his waistband and points it at employees with customers nearby. Kolb said store employees wisely gave up the fight. "It was a very dangerous situation."

Police reviewed the rest of the video and spotted the getaway car that picked up Yocum. They were able to ID and arrest him because the surveillance cameras captured the license plate number as the car drove away.

KIRO-7 showed the video of the wild fight at the store entrance to Walmart customers who said they are thankful nobody got seriously hurt. "Especially with all the people coming in and out with little kids and older people who can't get around very fast. It's kinda scary," Charlene Yerrington said.

When Yocum was captured he told police the gun was not real and was a BB gun he had stolen from inside the Walmart. Police said they have not recovered the weapon and do not know if it was a real gun or not. KIRO-7 South Sound Bureau Chief Richard Thompson went into the Walmart to see the BB guns and he discovered they were locked up and could not simply be taken off the shelves.

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