Police: Officer injured when attacked inside Walmart Supercenter

WILKES-BARRE TWP. — A township police officer sustained injuries to his hands and back when he was attacked by a man detained on allegations he stole items from Walmart Supercenter on Friday.

Diontae Rahjeeb Atkins, 21, of North Empire Court, Sherman Hills, Wilkes-Barre, bull rushed the police sergeant who was pushed into a filing cabinet inside the store’s security office, according to court records.

The officer suffered abrasions to both hands and numbness to his lower back and was treated at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township.

Atkins was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, retail theft and two counts of resisting arrest. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $35,000 bail.

According to the criminal complaint:

A store security officer told police he was viewing Atkins riding around the store on mart cart selecting items. When he rode to the exit doors on the grocery side of the store, Atkins walked out failing to pay for the items he selected.

The store officer took Atkins to the security office where he ran out and approached a responding township police officer saying, “You’re looking for me” in the parking lot.

Atkins was walked back into the store by the township officer and threw grapes that struck the back of the head of the store’s officer saying, “(Expletive) you, you’re harassing me,” court records say.

When they reached the security office, Atkins allegedly said he was not going inside because he is claustrophobic.

Once inside the office, Atkins smiled when he told the township officer he has an item inside his pocket that could “poke” the township officer. When the officer removed a cell phone, Atkins yelled at the township officer saying she went into the wrong pocket.

The police sergeant arrived to assist and was pushed into a filing cabinet by Atkins when he bull rushed the two township police officers, court records say.