Armed Walgreens Employee Defends Himself Against Alleged Shoplifter Brandishing Weapon

An alleged armed shoplifter got more than he bargained for when he responded to being caught by producing a firearm. The 48-year-old Illinois man paid for that mistake with his life.

Investigators believe the 48-year-old accused shoplifter and a 42-year-old female accomplice targeted a Walgreens in Calumet City. The pair exited the store around 2:10 a.m. but were spotted by employees.

The workers followed the two outside and demanded they return the stolen goods. The female suspect complied, handing over the merchandise before running away, but her older male accomplice balked.

Instead of doing the wise thing and living to see another day, witnesses reported the man produced a weapon and pointed it at the diligent employees.

Unfortunately for the suspect, later identified as Mario Almendarez of Chicago, one of the workers was legally armed.

Investigators with the Calumet City Police Department confirmed the Walgreens employee held a concealed carry license. Faced with a violent threat by an armed alleged shoplifter, the employee fired his weapon, hitting the suspect in the torso.

Remarkably, the wounded man was able to flee to his vehicle and drive away before being pulled over by police. He was then transported to an area hospital, where he died from his injuries.

The female suspect is still on the loose.

It is difficult to imagine anything in Walgreens worth risking one’s life over, and the prudent course of action for the now-deceased suspect would have been to comply and move on. But he didn’t, and that miscalculation carried the ultimate price.

The only remaining issue is whether the Walgreens employee is still employed by the pharmaceutical chain. Unfortunately, some companies take a dim view of even legally armed workers, and policies vary over confronting alleged shoplifters.

In this particular instance, however, his having a legal firearm may have saved lives.

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