DETROIT – Robert Walls said he went to Home Depot for something simple: a paint roller for a new home. Instead, the 58-year-old Army veteran said he ended up tased, cuffed and in the hospital.
“I want justice,” he said. “I’m a proud person. … I try to be polite, and my politeness almost got me killed.”
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Walls said he was assaulted Wednesday morning at the Home Depot near Seven Mile and Meyers after he confronted three men he said were harassing a woman.
Walls said he was using a store-provided scooter as he shopped at around 10 a.m. He said he cannot walk long distances due to a “bad accident.”
How Walls said it started
“It was a young — it was a lady there with a cart, and it seemed as if when I first started rolling through the door, they were harassing her,” Walls said.
Walls said one of the men — “the gentleman with no shirt on,” as he described him — waved a bottle at the woman.
Then, as he headed down the main aisle toward the paint department at the back of the store, Walls said the three men would not let him pass. Walls said that’s when the threats began.
“They were going to slap me in my bald head,” he said. He said the men then threatened to kill him and demanded he pay for their purchases.
Walls said he tried to call 911, but hesitated when one of the men allegedly yelled, “I see you reaching.”
“I kind of stood up and I went to reach with my phone, because I was going to call 911,” Walls said. “And then the one gentleman started growling like an animal and reaching in his shirt. So, I just put my phone back.”
“Did you think he had a weapon?”
“Yes, I did,” Walls said.
Walls said he tried to move away, but the men followed him through the store, blocking his path and continuing to threaten him.
“At this point now, I’m in fear for my life,” Walls said. “So, I’m going to move on.”
Asking Home Depot for help
He said he asked an employee to call 911 — and said the employee refused to help.
“I see a Home Depot employee,” Walls said. “I said, ‘Can you please call 911,’ and he looked at me and turned around and walked away.”
Walls said the men kept trailing him toward the front of the store. When he turned into another aisle, he said the oldest man stepped in front of him again to stop him. Walls said that’s when he grabbed a pipe.
“I noticed those pipes was right there, so I grabbed those pipes, and I stood up … and I yelled out, ‘Leave me the hell alone. Stop messing with me,’” Walls said.
“And the older gentleman told them two boys, ‘Y’all kill him,’” Walls said. “And they came straight at me. And that’s when I defended myself.”
Detroit Police get involved
Walls said a Detroit police officer got involved after he struck one of the men with the pipe.
“That’s when an officer rushed in on me,” Walls said.
Walls alleges the officer used excessive force and said he was tased as the beating continued.
“She even tased me while they were beating on me and had me in the corner with the shirt over my head, trying to pound my brains out,” Walls said.
But a Detroit police spokesperson told Local 4 that there is nothing to suggest anyone was tased, saying the officer pulled out a Taser but did not discharge it.
Detroit police also said the officer was working security at the store and is still recovering from minor injuries. The department defended her actions, saying she had to manage a chaotic scene with limited resources and that Walls was holding a weapon.
“She attempted to take control and manage the situation with the limited resources she had at that time,” Detroit police said.
Police also said use-of-force incidents are always investigated.
Charges have been submitted for two of the three involved and potential charges are being discussed for the third (a juvenile).
Local 4 learned the three men may have been causing problems at a car wash near the Home Depot before entering the store.
Video obtained by Local 4 showed employees at the car wash saying the same three men had been there just before the brawl, blocking the entrance and harassing customers.
Attorney response
Walls said he was handcuffed and questioned before being released, then went to the hospital and left Thursday night. He said he’s dealing with memory issues and pain throughout his body.
Todd Stearn, an attorney for Walls, said he wants to see additional video and a fuller investigation before drawing final conclusions, but said what he has seen so far is incredibly troubling.
“We all know that the police have a tough job to do, but they’re there to protect,” Stearn said. “And in this particular case, what we saw is the police using excessive force going after Mr. Walls.”
Stearn also criticized Home Depot’s response, saying the situation could have been de-escalated if employees had acted sooner.
“All they had to do was call the police. All they had to do was try and de-escalate,” he said. “But instead, everything just escalated.”
Stearn said he has not heard back from Home Depot or police as of the interview, and that his office has taken steps to preserve evidence.
Local 4 reached out to Home Depot for comment, but we have not yet heard back.
You can donate to Robert Walls’ medical expenses by clicking here.