On December 5, 2018, 40 year old Christopher Simpson and his girlfriend attempted to steal 10-15 video games from a Walmart in Greenfield, Wisconsin, valued at $275 total. During the attempted theft, Simpson was thrown into a Redbox machine and then tackled to the ground by Walmart shopper Mark Hammer. Hammer held Simpson on the ground until police were able to arrive on the scene. This past Tuesday, October 8, Simpson was sentenced for the crime.
Simpson was sentenced to 60 days in the House of Correction and placed on probation for one year, as reported by Fox 6 Now. Simpson said that his motivation for the crime was that he is unemployed and in need of money, though he admitted that his financial situation was "no excuse" for his "criminal behavior."
However, Simpson takes issue with the way he was tackled by Hammer. "I think what he did was wrong, and he should be punished for it," Simpson told Fox 6. Simpson reportedly threatened to have Hammer arrested for "assault," though no such arrest ever occurred. Simpson didn't sustain any major injuries during the altercation, but was treated for a bumped head and possible bruised ribs on the way to jail. "This would've turned out differently if I was seriously injured because he wouldn't have walked away clean."
Click here to watch a video of the incident.
With Walmart being one of the largest retail chains in the entire world, it's no surprise that it is regularly a target for theft. Video games at Walmart are a particularly hot commodity as they are easy to conceal and re-sell. This is why the more expensive video games are usually behind glass cases at Walmart, and nowadays even the cheaper games are at least kept in protective security boxes.
Even with these extra precautions, people still try to steal video games from Walmart. While the vast majority of these incidents are just regular shoplifting, sometimes things get a little crazier, like with Simpson's situation. Another Walmart shoplifting situation that got out of hand occurred a few years ago, when a shopper stole video games and urinated on Walmart's floor in the process.
Sometimes Walmart thieves get a little more creative. For example, someone used his daughter to steal a Nintendo Switch from a prize machine at a Walmart store just last year. Unfortunately, Walmart thefts aren't likely to stop anytime soon.
Source: Fox 6 Now