Cops acted properly in controversial Walmart arrest caught on video, PA prosecutor says
A man was arrested Monday after a Pennsylvania Walmart manager called police on the shopper for allegedly riding a bicycle through the store, shouting profanities and refusing to leave when asked, according to local authorities.
A video of the arrest posted on Twitter that night shows Wyomissing police struggling to bring the man to the ground. The man can be heard saying, “Why are you doing this to me? I paid for my stuff. I have a receipt.”
An arrest affidavit says the man, identified as 37-year-old Stanley Gracius, grabbed a taser from an officer’s hand and tried to wrestle it from him, according to the Reading Eagle.
The video has gone viral, reaching 12,000 likes and about 8,200 retweets and comments as of July 22.
Twitter users condemned how police handled the situation, but on Tuesday the Berks County District Attorney’s office said police acted “appropriately,” according to a statement the office posted on Facebook.
“The defendant was detained by the Wyomissing Police and at all times during the encounter, the Wyomissing Police showed restraint, acted professionally and did a good job deescalating the situation with the defendant, Stanley Gracius,” the district attorney’s office wrote. “Mr. Gracius did not in any manner abide by the requests of not only the store manager of Walmart, but also the requests of the officers themselves.”
The store manager told police that Gracius was riding an unpurchased bike in between aisles, playing loud music, yelling profanities at other shoppers, hitting some shopping carts and nearly running into bystanders, the district attorney’s office said.
When asked to leave the store, Gracius allegedly said, “You’re not going to tell me what to do.” By the time police arrived, Gracius had just paid for the bicycle, the statement said.
But the user who posted the video had a different story.
“The kind man was test riding a bike through the store while playing some music and telling random strangers he hopes they have a great day and complimenting them. He was absolutely no bother to anyone.”
Gracius was charged with “aggravated assault, simple assault, disarming law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, defiant trespass and disorderly conduct,” according to the statement.
The district attorney’s office said Gracius was involved in a similar incident in 2014 “when he pled guilty to disarming law enforcement and criminal trespass.”
A protest has been planned at the Wyomissing Police Department in response to the viral video, the Reading Eagle reported.
