A Clermont man was arrested after fleeing from Walmart in a bid to avoid theft charges.
A deputy responded to Walmart, located at 550 U.S. Hwy. 27, Clermont, for a theft involving 22-year-old Brian Terick Wilkerson at 7:55 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
An asset protection associate advised that Wilkerson and an unidentified female suspect had been seen skip-scanning merchandise through surveillance cameras. They both tried to leave with the unpaid items until the associate confronted them. The female suspect fled, but Wilkerson initially complied with associates, the report said.
He entered the asset protection office with them, but he was then told that law enforcement had been requested. He became aggressive and pushed past two employees to flee the premises on foot. Asset protection wanted him to be prosecuted for the theft of 21 items valued at $167.03, the report said.
Wilkerson was later found fleeing the scene on foot. He resisted the deputy’s pursuit by pulling away and trying to run. During the altercation, he was tased by the deputy twice. He did not comply with orders to “get on the ground” and “stop resisting,” the report said.
The Massachusetts native was ultimately arrested on charges of retail theft, resisting a merchant and resisting arrest without violence. He was booked at the Lake County Jail with bond set at $2,500.