I don't blame the WM manager for being uneasy about this rider coming in the way he did. With all that armor, dark visor helmet, backpack, there's definitely reason for concern.
The rider would have been wise to uncover his face, probably remove helmet, turn off headphones. He was in a bubble. Not illegal, but socially ignorant. I sometimes wear a helmet into a convenience store (open modular face) but I feel uncomfortable even that way.
Where it really went sideways IMO was how the police officers continued to treat him as a major threat, hands on their weapons, getting increasingly aggressive, even when he clearly was not combative nor threatening.
I am curious if any LEOs here have thoughts they're willing to share. Maybe there are things that occurred here that I didn't catch, that might be legitimate reasons for the officers in this case to escalate once they engaged.
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You asked for opinions from any LEO's, so I'll respond as a retired one...30+ years in a decently sized TX city.
A major flaw in the action of the police is this...did not check video. As a cop you're in a facility (Walmart) that you know from many, many past experiences will have good video to review before making an arrest like this one. This offense hinges on he-said/he-said chain of events. While the complainant is allegedly the manager of the store that you might tend to trust, you're preparing to arrest a person based on arguable information that can easily be checked on video. Check the video. How clear are the manager's assertions about his actions/warnings vs. the defendant's reaction, compliance, or demeanor? I would have viewed the manager's interaction toward the defendant as somewhat weak...and probably because he was somewhat leery of the guy...maybe for good reason. The manager made no obvious hand gesture like holding up his hand or finger to unmistakenly get the defendant's attention. There was no clear indication the defendant ever really acknowledged the manager.
Another problem I have with this situation is the manager's reasoning. While I can fully understand some apprehension due to recent violent events...El Paso Walmart...fear does not dictate execution of law or reasonable behavior. I'll bet this store and Walmart in general has/had no prohibition about certain types of head gear and such...probably only 30.06/30.07 signs...or whatever AZ would have if they do. Someone mentioned hoodies, and there are other examples of head/face gear that could actually have history in criminal behavior...robbers using presidential face masks per Hollywood movies and such. If a store like a Walmart has such general or specific regulations, they need to be supported by signage, or clear, direct, communication by a manager or person with some actual authority. Someone mentioned "their business, their rules"...that's true in a general sense, but the manager of a Walmart doesn't get to design the rules on his own like a mom and pop bodega. Walmart is indeed a private business, but oddly there is a legitimate expectation of some kind of consistent treatment in the customer experience...it's one of the things Walmart promotes. And there was never a clear, direct contact by the manager to this defendant. I think the manager was scared...and that's somewhat natural in this case. But again...police should have checked the video.
I don't think the police looked at the big picture here. What was really being accomplished here? Who was in danger? What behavior did the defendant commit that was a criminal violation of real magnitude to require his arrest? I was a superivsor for most of my career. Frankly if I had pulled up on this incident and got the lay of the land from my officers and the manager, I don't think I would have even looked at the video because the circumstances didn't really warrant police action. They had the guy's ID...he's not wanted...he's not threatening...etc. There are usually a lot more pressing issues out there to tie up 3 or 4 officers on. The absolute pinnacle of any action might have been to put the guy on a trespass list for this store, and I would have tried to talk the manager out of that...and being a Walmart and not a small personally owned store, I probably wouldn't have gone that far. Maybe..."have you're regional manager call me about this incident, and we'll talk about it." This was pretty much a non-event.
Now...as far as the defendant and his actions...it's possible that he may have actually heard the manager's communication but decided to blow it off. The defendant didn't blow up, get mad, challenge the manager, and we don't deprive people of their liberty and throw them in the clink just because of possibilities or less than perfect behavior...or at least we shouldn't. I take my helmet off inside most any building, business, etc., but that's my call. I want to hear and see my surroundings in full stereo...LOL!
As far as the police action and behavior...I thought everything was decent until the one officer went off. I've gone off on defendants before, but it was always in response to outrageous behavior on their part that caused me to escalate to that point in an attempt to get their attention before things got worse. And even then, you have to size up the people you're going to "go off" on, because some respond to calm when they start to go sideways while others need aggressive communication...know your audience. In this Walmart case, the defendant remained calm the whole time. Cops are the ones who are supposed to ease tension when possible, not induce it. The defendant never took the bait, and I think the one officer was somewhat disappointed.
OK...why did I spend so much time on this issue and discussion? For one, someone asked. Secondly I'm really bothered by what's going on in our nation as it relates to police, government, and citizens. For the most part I have full faith in "most" of the behavior and performance of our municipal police departments...federal agencies, not so much anymore. There are definitely mistakes and sometimes even downright criminal behavior, but this profession is a mistake prone venue even aside from the best intentions. In the case of this AZ Walmart incident, it must have been a slow day for the police department, because I don't think anything here warranted much of anyone getting their shorts in a wad.
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