Accused Walmart shoplifter charged with attempting to stab police officer with screwdriver
A Michigan man accused of shoplifting from a Walmart store is facing a slew of felony charges after he allegedly tried to stab a police officer with a screwdriver in a scuffle outside the store.
Joshua Mills, 32, of Eastpointe, faces charges of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, retail fraud and two counts of resisting arrest as police tried to investigate a shoplifting report at the store, Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said.
Sterling Heights police were called Sunday to the Walmart on Van Dyke Road after employees alleged someone left the store without paying for merchandise. When police arrived at the store, authorities said Mills ran off. An officer pursued Mills and deployed a Taser.
As Mills was on the ground, police said an officer tried to place him under arrest. Mills then sat up and attempted to stab the officer in the face with a screwdriver, according to investigators.
Prosecutors said Mills "narrowly missed stabbing the officer."
After a physical struggle, police said Mills was taken into custody.
Mills was arraigned Tuesday at the 41st District Court in Sterling Heights. Bond was set at $500,000. A probable cause conference is set for Oct. 20, and a preliminary exam is scheduled for Oct. 27.
"The defendant's decision to allegedly turn a routine misdemeanor arrest into a life-threatening confrontation is unacceptable, and our office will pursue this case to the fullest extent of the law," Lucido said about the circumstances.