Walmart shoplifting spree ends in store evacuation; Man sentenced to 12 years in prison

A Macon man pleaded guilty Thursday to pointing a gun at four Walmart employees last year after he’d been spotted stuffing video-game discs into his coat.

Shoppers were evacuated from the store, located on Harrison Road near Interstate 475, on Jan. 4, 2016, as 30-year-old Felenthean Deandre Grable ran through the store and tossed the gun, prosecutor Jason Martin said.

Grable pleaded guilty to shoplifting, possession of a gun by a convicted felon and four counts of aggravated assault. He was sentenced to 20 years, a dozen of them in prison, as his trial was about to begin in Bibb County Superior Court.

He also is banned from Walmart stores.

Before announcing the sentence, Judge Howard Simms asked Grable if he wanted to speak.

Grable replied, “I’m just ready to get this over with.”

His attorney, Tamika Fluker, said Grable pleaded guilty because it was in his best interest.

Martin said Walmart employees saw Grable put video games in a shopping cart and then go to other parts of the store, where he removed discs from their packaging.

Grable had intended to resell the games at GameStop, Martin said.

Confronted about what he had done, Grable tried to leave and was tackled by an employee. He was led to an office, where he was asked to empty his pockets.

In the office, Grable took a knife from his pocket and later pulled out a gun that he brandished at four employees, Martin said.

Grable ran into the parking lot and then back into the store after seeing arriving police cars. He was later arrested.

This story was originally published June 22, 2017 at 11:57 AM with the headline "Walmart shoplifting spree ends in store evacuation; Man sentenced to 12 years in prison."