A Wal-Mart employee faces charges after police say he slammed a woman suspected of shoplifting face-first into the ground.
It happened late Tuesday night at the Dorman Centre Wal-Mart in Spartanburg. According to police reports, Joseph Gregorie, the store's loss prevention officer, saw a 58-year old Greer woman concealing items in a bag. Gregorie says when he confronted her, the woman dropped the bag and tried to run away. The woman, Deborah Blackwell, tells police that Gregorie "bear hugged" her and slammed her face-first into the ground. She suffered a large contusion on her left eye and an injured hand and had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance. Gregorie told police that he grabbed Blackwell and she lost her balance and they both fell. But after reviewing surveillance video, the investigating officer said it shows Gregorie "throwing her to the ground". He took the evidence to a judge who signed arrest warrants for both Gregorie and Blackwell.
Spartanburg Public Safety said it could not show us the surveillance video at this point because it will be used as evidence in court.
Gregorie is charged with simple assault and is out of jail on bond. Blackwell is charged with shoplifting and is also out on bond.
Blackwell tells News Channel 7 she is still in a lot of pain, but when asked if she was shoplifting, she said she had to speak to her attorney and ended the conversation. Gregorie said he could not comment on the case but did say he still has his job for now.
A Wal-Mart spokesperson says "the safety and security of customers and associates is a top priority. We always expect the utmost professionalism from our associates at all times. We are currently investigating the claims related to this situation and will take appropriate action. We are cooperating with police on their investigation."
When asked about the company's policy regarding stopping suspected shoplifters, the spokesperson said their employees do follow certain "asset protection" protocols, but she said she could not go into details about those protocols because of this investigation.
To see video showing the injuries to Blackwell's face, click on the "play" icon on the video tab for this story.
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