NEWS: Shoplifter Killed For Stealing Diapers

CULTURE: Shoplifter Killed For Stealing Diapers

On August 7th, a man suspected of stealing diapers was tortured and killed by several store employees as he pleaded for his life. You might think this happened somewhere in the undeveloped third world, where their concept of justice is perceived to be more brutal and unforgiving than that of the Western world. Guess again. It happened in Texas. At a Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart employees suspected 30 year-old Clay Driver of trying to walk off with diapers, a BB gun, and a pair of sunglasses. As he left the store, four to five employees wrestled him to the scorching blacktop and held him there, handcuffed, for almost ten minutes. It was 96 degrees out.

When EMTs arrived on the scene, Driver was in cardiac arrest. He was still face down on the pavement with hands cuffed behind his back and no signs of CPR having been administered. I guess these things happen when you give the authority to seize and detain suspects to part-time, near minimum wage retail workers with little to no training.

huh...

They should all be charged with murder.

well...if he was shoplifting, he got what he deserved.

"tortured and killed"?

They certainly killed him, but I'm not sure if detaining a shoplifter is torture, even if it was a dangerous and less than intelligent way to do it.

[Edited on Aug 14, 2005 3:54PM]

That's just great. I really hope you're being sarcastic...I wish Texas would just disappear...

If you're not kidding, you're an asshole.

Technically, I don't think they actually have the authority to detain anyone outside of the store.

Also, what the hell is wrong with everyone else? So five employees sat on the guy right? Why didn't any of the customers push them off or call the cops?

Don't mess with Texas indeed!

Within reasonable limits.

I know it sounds slightly judgemental but I would feel a lot more sorry for him if the story was minus the bb gun part. Diapers and a BB gun, wtf?

Either way though, my god... They killed the man.
Could they have not at least held him inside the building. Don't most stores have security areas where they hold people until the police arrive?

I think they should all be charged too.

Jesus fucking Christ. I can't believe some of you people actually think this was the right thing to do.

Pushing him down onto hot pavement is torture, especially when he's screaming that he can't breathe. They could have kept him cuffed and had him sit on a bench. When he went into cardiac arrest, they should have called 911. Hell, 911 should have been called RIGHT AWAY. I realize he was shoplifting, but that's no excuse for murder.

What the hell is wrong with people?!?

I'm sure it was justified in their pea brained little minds. If he hadn't looked suspicious, none of this would have happened, so they can say it was his fault. Go Walmart. Give everyone a reason to hate you even more.

texas....figures.

Also... "somewhere in the undeveloped third world, where their concept of justice is perceived to be more brutal and unforgiving than that of the Western world"

This doesn't sound like Texas to anyone?

I was at a Walmart Friday after Thanks-
giving in last year ( Black Friday I think they call
it) and some guy ran out with an entire computer
system they had on sale for about $400.00. There
were only a few left and people were fighting over them,
this guy just threw it in his cart and ran for
the door.
Everybody asked the clerk if they were
going to stop him and the clerk said no, it's against
company policy for anyone but security to do that,
so maybe these employees were violating company
policy.

[Edited on Aug 14, 2005 1:06PM]

Go lie down on mid-day, 100 degree blacktop and have people sit on you for five minutes as you struggle to get up and cry out in pain. It was so hot it only took him seven minutes to die. I'd call that torture.

And he was shoplifting diapers WHY? Its not like they're a hot commodity on the 'back of the truck' market.
The implications of this whole story make me ill. Charge em with manslaughter at least.
It was shoplifting, not aggravated assault, ferchrissakes.

not condoning the actions of the walmart employees, but i know sum1 who faked a heart attack and made a fast exit through a hospital window. All to get out of being arrested for shoplifting. Its possible that these kids, (I assume they were kids cuz they work at walmart but on the other hand it is Texas) or grownass Texans could have really thought he was a faker. I don't know about laws in texas, but i know we cant detain people as mere employees, and even security has to keep you in an isolated area.
i dunno..
dumb people do dumb things lets just say they are lucky that he wasn't a relative of mine.....

But why didn't they take him inside?
That's the big question

it really surprises me the amount that people have tried to lessen or mitigate what the employees did. regardless of what they thought or what they felt , they murdered a fellow human without any just cause.

there is no excuse for behavior of this kind whatsoever.

I fucking hate Texas, and I hate Wal-Mart, I really do...If they were properly trained in some type of law enforcement, this wouldn't have happened, as it stands they work at Wal-Mart, and they should all be charged with involuntary manslaughter.

That's at least manslaughter. That's also just fucking disgusting. That they held him on the pavement, that no one stepped in to help him, all of it.

i used to work at a a walmart and also a kmart and at both places it was against company policy and the law to detain anyone physically