Walmart Shopper Zapped With Stun Gun, Police Say

The year did not start out right for one shopper.

A 61-year-old woman reported to authorities that she was shocked with a stun gun by two fellow customers on New Year’s Day.

Though a security camera for the New Tampa store on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard does not show the actual zapping, Tampa Police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said the woman has red marks on her back that appear to be made by a stun gun.

Video shows two females following the woman shortly before 9 p.m.

“They passed the victim in the aisles and then looped back around,” McElroy told Patch. “It appears they focused on the victim.” 

The women suspected of delivering the shock are in their 30s or 40s, both about 5 feet, 5 inches tall with a heavy build. One woman is white and was wearing a bandana, while the other is black and was wearing a backward-facing ballcap, McElroy said.

McElroy said there was no verbal exchange between the two parties but the woman was “shocked; she felt a jolt” when the women were near her. McElroy said the woman did not fall to the ground but immediately called her daughters. The daughters came to the store, saw the marks on her back and called store security, who in turn called Tampa Police.

A Hate Crime?

“The daughters were concerned it was a hate crime because the victim is Middle Eastern and was wearing traditional ethnic clothing," McElroy said. But police cannot make such a determination at this point.

“The first step is identifying and locating the suspects and determining the motivation,” McElroy said. “She had a large purse in her cart so maybe that was the reason for targeting her.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Tampa Police at (813) 231-6130.