TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Talk about a terrifying moment for shoppers at a Tampa Walmart.
On Saturday, as the store on Fletcher was busy and filled with shoppers, a 37-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly crafting a homemade bomb.
Emily Stallard was with a child at the time, according to Hillsborough deputies who were called to the scene by a quick-thinking security guard.
He says he noticed something wasn’t quite right.
According to the arrest report, the woman was roaming the aisles for more than an hour. Her behavior was “suspicious,” the security guard told deputies.
And, top of that, 8 On Your Side has learned, the child was the woman’s son, according to her boyfriend.
As Stallard was shopping at Walmart late Saturday afternoon, the security guard on duty began watching her closely, even alerting an FWC officer who was also in the store.
According to the arrest report, the two men were able to stop the mom just as she was about to light the wick of a candle, built in a mason jar with nails and denatured alcohol.
“This shows how important it is that if you see something out of place, say something,” Hillsborough Sheriff Spokesperson Amanda Granit said. “Your actions and what you saw could really make a huge difference, as it did in this case.”
In addition to charges of arson and child endangerment, the woman was also charged with resisting arrest after deputies say she spit on them while being loaded in the patrol car.
“This is really alarming to see this type of behavior and to see a person in such a public place where they could cause damage or hurt people around them,” Granit said.
Stallard remains behind bars at this time.
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