TYLER, Texas — A Smith County jury has awarded $4.3 million to a contractor injured when a Walmart shoplifter rammed him with his car upon running from the scene.
The lawyers of Martin Walker PC represented Scott Lacy in the lawsuit against Walmart. In July 2020, Arkansas native Lacy was working as a subcontractor at Walmart in Tyler.
He was in the lawn and garden center when multiple Walmart employees yelled for help after noticing an active shoplifter.
The employees and Lacy chased the shoplifter into the parking lot to retrieve the stolen merchandise when one of the employees instructed Lacy to release the suspect.
Lacy began to walk towards the Walmart when the shoplifter struck him with his vehicle which catapulted him into a pole and shattering his ankle.
This traumatic injury required Lacy to undergo multiple surgeries to repair. He also suffered a traumatic brain injury from the hit.
The jury was shown evidence of negligence on Walmart’s part for inadequate training and understanding of the company’s shoplifting policy, commonly referred to as AP-09, which details the serious risks involved with approaching and pursuing shoplifters.
“If the Walmart staff were properly trained, this whole incident would have been preventable,” said renowned personal injury attorney Jack Walker.
In largest local verdict against a major retail company in recent memory, jurors ordered Walmart to pay $4.3 million to Lacy for the incident.
The suspect has been identified as Herbert Vanderkinter who was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and property theft.
He was later convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 40 years in prison.