Cereal flies as Bluffton Walmart employee is tackled by man in the grocery aisle

A day-long argument between a Bluffton Walmart employee and the brother of the woman he was seeing erupted into a fight in the store's grocery section that toppled a cereal display Monday night, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff's Office report.

The incident happened around 7:20 p.m., the report said. A customer called 911 to report a "loud commotion" in the grocery section, according to the report. A second customer said she was in the grocery aisle when she saw one man "tackle" a store employee, knocking over the display. A third customer said the assailant was "on top of (the employee) hitting him" before she pulled the suspect off and he left the store.

The employee told the deputy that the suspect is the brother of a woman he is in a relationship with. He said he and the woman's brother had been arguing throughout the day on the phone when he noticed he was in the store "watching him," the report said. He tried to avoid the suspect, but he allegedly followed him throughout the store and began "texting him in a threatening manner."

The employee said he was walking down an aisle when the suspect tackled him into the display and began hitting him.

Customers pulled the man off the employee, and he left. The employee said he was not injured and did not wish to pursue charges.

However, a manager at the store said the store wished to pursue charges against the assailant and added that the damaged merchandise was valued at $192.38.

No arrests were listed in the report, but a deputy wrote that he would seek a warrant against the alleged assailant.

This story was originally published April 17, 2018 at 2:12 PM with the headline "Cereal flies as Bluffton Walmart employee is tackled by man in the grocery aisle."