Attacking a man recovering from knee surgery in an electric wheelchair is never a good look, but we at least empathize with what sent 77-year-old William Golladay over the edge. He was just sticking up for basic manners and civil decency when the man in a wheelchair tried to sneak more than the allowed number of items into a Walmart's express checkout lane.
Here are the details: Golladay was standing in the 20-items-or-less lane at a Punta Gorda Walmart with his three items when 65-year-old John Malherbe and his wife scooted up with twenty-two items in their cart. Golladay started counting the items and upon finding that Malherbe was over the limit he started yelling at him.
"He kept screaming about too many groceries and stuff," Malherbe told WZVN. "And I said, 'What?' I think it was the shock, of 'What? Are you serious?' And I kept asking my wife, 'What?!'"
Malherbe started screaming back, despite the fact that he was clearly in the wrong. Halladay pushed his shopping cart into Malherbe's elbow, leaving a bruise. He was escorted out by store employees, but came back in and started walking toward Malherbe with both his fists raised. Police were called and Hallady was cuffed and charged with felony battery.
True, it is never right to physically attack someone recovering from knee surgery in an electric wheelchair (or over something so silly, actually), but two wrongs don't make a right.
Don't get it twisted. You're still just a straight up dick if you try and cheat the rules of the express checkout lane. Walmart's 20-item limit is beyond generous as it is. It's just common decency. We have all these little rules and manners in our society that we're supposed to self-enforce as a courtesy to our fellow man, but some people just straight up don't care. It's like a subtle middle finger to everyone else around you.
In any event, just remember that there are crazy enough people in this state who'll ram a cart into a man recovering from surgery for cheating those rules. Just imagine what could happen to you if you think about pulling that same stunt.
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