Walmart Fires Employee for Defending Himself Against an Assault
A former Walmart employee says he fired from his job this week after defending himself against an assault in the store's parking lot.
Kristopher Oswald, 30, had been working at a Walmart in Hartland, Michigan, for about seven weeks when the incident occurred.
Oswald, who had been working the overnight shift stocking pet supplies, was eating food in his car while on a break, when he suddenly heard the sound of a woman screaming.
He went to investigate, and came across what appeared to be a man pushing a woman up against her vehicle.
When Oswald asked the woman if she needed help, the man abruptly attacked him with a series of blows to the head.
Oswald said the man continued punching him while yelling, "I'm going to kill you."
Fighting back, Oswald told Action News he was able to gain the upper hand by holding the man down, but was unexpectedly jumped by two other men.
It was then that Livingston County Sheriff deputies arrived on the scene and stopped the brawl.
According to Oswald, he was summarily terminated the following day for violating company policy "on his lunch break."
It remains unclear which policy Oswald violated, as Walmart's guidebook does not explicitly prohibit employees from assisting individuals in apparent danger or exercising self-defense in the face of bodily harm.
"We had to make a tough decision, one that we don't take lightly, and he's no longer with the company," a spokeswoman for Walmart told the Associated Press.
"The last thing I expected was to not have a job," Oswald told WXYZ. "I don't even know what to put on an application about all this. How do I say this ended?"
Despite the negative outcome, Oswald told the news station he would do it again. "I will always do the right thing," he said.
