FAYETTEVILLE -- A man was arrested Thursday night after an altercation outside Walmart on Mall Avenue, according to police.
Michael Elmore, 24, of 188 U.S. 71 in Winslow was arrested about 9:30 p.m. in connection with felony robbery and second-degree battery, two counts of misdemeanor third-degree battery and one count of misdemeanor failure to pay costs and fines.
Mary Lopez told police she put her purse in a shopping cart, and her 13-year-old son was pushing it toward the store when Elmore yelled, put his arm around the boy and threw him to the ground, according to the arrest report.
Lopez, the 13-year-old and another son, 10, tried to stop Elmore from taking the purse. Elmore threw both boys to the ground, according to the report.
A bystander intervened and helped protect the family from Elmore, according to the report.
Lopez and her two sons suffered minor cuts and bruises to their hands and knees.
Police found Elmore lying on the ground with several people surrounding him, according to the report.
Elmore said he took enough pills to overdose, according to the report. He was taken to Washington Regional Medical Center where he said he was, "A broken down dope head that tried to rob a mom and kids," according to the report.
He was being held Friday in the Washington County Detention Center in lieu of a $7,030 bond.
"We are very fortunate that we don't have a lot of crimes like this," said Sgt. Craig Stout. Especially with the holiday season, people should be aware of the surroundings, and park in well-lit areas to help prevent crimes.
NW News on 12/20/2014