A viral TikTok video shows a man berating Walmart employees and the woman who recorded the incident in Goodyear, Arizona. The TikToker, user Shawna Hunt (@maybe.shawna), wrote that the “dude went off on” her in the video’s caption.
“You don’t know who the fuck you’re fucking with,” the man says to Hunt. “I don’t give a shit. Mind your own fucking business, you understand me?”
The incident appears to have occurred in the electronics department. A Walmart employee asks the man to leave, but he refuses to go until his phone is fixed. The employee then says they’ll call the cops.
The man says he’s a military veteran and repeatedly yells about photos, contacts, and messages being gone from his phone. He paces back and forth before noticing that the TikToker is recording him.
@maybe.shawna Crazy dude went off on me! Who wants a story time?
♬ original sound – Shawna Hunt
“Keep videoing me, keep videoing me, keep videoing me,” he repeats. “Mind your fucking business. You don’t know what the fuck is going on.”
By Monday, the TikTok garnered over 4.6 million views. In a follow-up video, Hunt explains the situation. She says that she went to the technology counter to purchase an Xbox controller, but there were no employees there. After finding an employee to help her, they returned to the counter to find the man there.
“He says, ‘Can you fucking help me?’” Hunt recounts. She says the employee explained that she had several customers waiting on her and that she would be with him in a moment.
“He goes, ‘No, you’re going to help me right fucking now,’” Hunt says.
@maybe.shawna Explaining my side of the story
♬ original sound – Shawna Hunt
Hunt says the man went on to berate the Walmart employee, telling her that he knows her and blaming her for his technology issues.
“He says, ‘So-and-so, I know you deleted my contacts. I know you deleted my emails. You need to give them back to me.’ So clearly, he is not mentally stable,” Hunt says.
When the employee was visibly upset by the man, Hunt calmly explained to the man that the worker would be able to help him in a moment. She says the man began to berate her as well, and several Walmart employees arrived to diffuse the situation.
Hunt says a Walmart worker told her to start recording, which she did until the police arrived. The TikToker says the man was arrested.
In a comment, she explains that the man claimed to be both a veteran and an oil millionaire.
“He also kept saying he was an oil millionaire and he was gonna own the store! So what is it, vet or millionaire,” the TikToker said.
Several users in the comments argued that his behavior could be a result of PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, an often chronic mental health disorder that can impact someone’s ability to continue daily activities and social engagements. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs’ website, 11% to 20% of veterans of the Iraq War experience PTSD, and it affects about 12% and 15% of those who served in the Gulf War and the Vietnam War, respectively.
“He’s suffering from PTSD. that’s what is sad, the gov spends all this time training them 4 war, but don’t help em when they come out. prayers for him,” one viewer speculated.
However, some argued that his military status does not give him an excuse to act that way.
“Veteran or not. You can’t act the fool in public,” one user said.
“Both grandparents, dad and hubby are veterans and they wouldn’t ever act like that—grandpa was a POW and didn’t act like that—no excuses for him,” said another.
“Vet or not, there’s no excuses for that kind of behavior,” a third person said.
Others praised the employees for how they handled the situation.
“Walmart employees don’t get paid nearly enough to deal with this,” one person stated.
“This was at my store!!! love steve and melvin!! handled this situation perfectly,” another said
The Daily Dot reached out to Hunt via Instagram messages and Walmart via email.
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