Man tries to steal BB gun from Spanaway Walmart, stabs clerk on way out, prosecutors say
A 31-year-old transient was arraigned Monday for allegedly stealing a BB gun and protein powder from a Spanaway Walmart on Friday, then stabbing a clerk who tried to stop him.
Billy Glen Childs faces charges of first-degree assault and first-degree robbery in Pierce County Superior Court, where Court Commissioner Meagan M. Foley set his bail at $100,000.
According to court documents:
Sheriff’s deputies responded to a stabbing at the Walmart store at 20307 Mountain Highway E. about 1 p.m. Witnesses described the suspect, and a deputy remembered interacting with him the day before at a nearby home.
The deputies drove to the house, and a man answered the door. He had a black eye and was wearing sweatpants that still had a sale tag on them, but said he did not know the suspect.
The man, later identified as Childs, matched the witnesses’ description and was arrested. Two witnesses said he was the suspect in the stabbing.
A store employee told deputies she watched Childs go through the store after having a dispute in the sporting goods department over a BB gun.
She said he put a bow, stereo, backpacks, protein powder and other items in his cart. She then saw him stuff a bunch of the items from the cart into one of the backpacks.
She told him to leave the store, and he took the backpack full of items and fled.
A clerk chased Childs and caught him as he reached the doors. Childs turned and stabbed the clerk twice in the back above his right shoulder, then left the store, dropping the backpack as he ran.
Deputies searched the cart and found an empty knife sheath, as well as half-consumed snacks and a drink.
When a deputy asked Childs why he did it, he said his 3-month-old daughter was in the hospital, addicted to methamphetamine, and he needed money to get to Tacoma to see her. He said he was shoplifting goods he could resell for cash.
The clerk was hospitalized but was expected to be released soon.
Kenny Ocker: 253-597-8627, @KennyOcker
This story was originally published October 17, 2016 at 4:24 PM with the headline "Man tries to steal BB gun from Spanaway Walmart, stabs clerk on way out, prosecutors say."