Walmart customer beaten to death by parents of teen employee after shopping cart dispute

A 77-year-old Walmart shopper died after he was allegedly attacked by the parents of a teenage store employee following an argument over a shopping cart in Norfolk, Virginia.Bert Atienza died of blunt head trauma on June 8, a day after he was attacked inside a Walmart store, according to WTKR. His death was ruled a homicide.Atienza was shopping with his wife Josephine after attending church when a 17-year-old Walmart employee allegedly rushed down an aisle with a cart and nearly hit her.Josephine told WTKR that her husband confronted the teenager, saying she had almost hit his wife and had not apologised.The couple then continued shopping after a brief argument with the employee. Josephine alleged that the teenager threw a can towards them before leaving the area and calling her parents.Elderly shopper attacked inside WalmartMinutes later, Travis White, 44, and Erika Mitchell, 42, allegedly tracked down the couple inside the store and attacked Atienza, according to surveillance footage obtained by WTKR.The footage shows Atienza being shoved, grabbed and punched before he was pushed into a shelf and fell to the floor. One of the suspects allegedly kicked him while he was down.“They crowded my husband, one of the adults hit him in the face. He fell down on the floor. I was terrified,” Josephine told WTKR.She said she pleaded with the attackers to stop because her husband had heart problems.Josephine was later seen holding her husband in her lap. She said Atienza was initially conscious and asked her to help him get up, but soon lost consciousness.He was taken to hospital and died the following day.Charges upgraded to second-degree murderWhite and Mitchell were initially charged with malicious wounding by mob, aggravated malicious wounding and conspiracy to commit a felony. The charges were later upgraded to second-degree murder, according to court records reviewed by The New York Post.Their attorney, James Broccoletti, disputed the allegations and said the couple had gone to the store after their daughter called them in distress.He told WTKR that they did not intend for the confrontation to turn violent and argued that the evidence showed, at most, an assault rather than conduct that could have been expected to cause death.White and Mitchell are being held without bond at the Norfolk jail.The 17-year-old employee, who is no longer working for Walmart, was also charged with assault and battery, aggravated malicious wounding and conspiracy to commit a felony. She is being held at the Norfolk Juvenile Detention Center.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.