A customer of a Pine Hills Wal-Mart shot a man suspected of stealing diapers and other items from the store Saturday morning, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
The man left the store at 5559 Clarcona Ocoee Road with three other theft suspects and was attempting to load stolen items into a vehicle just after 8 a.m. when a Wal-Mart employee attempted to stop the three accused bandits.
That’s when the Wal-Mart customer came out in front of the store and “assisted” the employee, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Angelo Nieves said. A “commotion” ensued, and the customer — fearing for his life — shot one of the suspects multiple times.
“What we have at this point is that the individual felt threatened — one of the suspects reached for something [and he] thought that it was a weapon or firearm,” Nieves said. “The individual who was assisting the [employee] was armed and used that weapon to fire on the suspect.”
The suspects got into their vehicle, which would later be discovered to have been stolen in a January carjacking, and tried to flee the scene. The car then smashed into two parked cars in the Wal-Mart parking lot, so the suspects bailed out and ran from the scene on foot.
Officials to the store at about 8:12 a.m. for a report of a “911 emergency,” according to the Sheriff’s Office’s online list of calls for service. By the time they arrived, the suspects were out of sight.
The suspect who was shot had ran to a Citgo gas station across the street from the Wal-Mart, where an ambulance was called. Orange County Fire Rescue medics then took the man to Orlando Regional Medical for treatment as a trauma patient.
Nieves said the man is undergoing surgery Saturday and was in serious but stable condition at about 11:30 a.m.
A deputy was checking with surrounding stores including a Speedway gas station next to the Wal-Mart for surveillance footage that may have shown which directions the suspects fled.
Diapers and other evidence remained scattered across the parking lot as detectives worked the crime scene, Nieves said. Few cars remained in the lot as deputies foraged the area.
Yellow crime scene tape stretched around the Wal-Mart and a Citgo gas station across the street as of about noon Saturday, banning potential customers from entering businesses’ parking lots. Clarcona Ocoee Road remained open to traffic.
Officials are reviewing the evidence and statements made at the scene. The customer who shot the suspect remained on scene to give his account of what happened. Deputies will determine whether charges are warranted for the shooter.
No identification was released on any of the individuals involved.
Nieves said there were no other victims.
No further information was immediately available Saturday as the incident remained under investigation.
cdoornbos@orlandosentinel.com or 407-650-6931
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