Police: Man Stealing Vodka Struggles With Security Guards

A Hazelwood man faces criminal charges after trying to walk out of a grocery store with a bottle of vodka.

Ronell Walls, 30, of Hazelwood, was charged Tuesday with second-degree robbery.

St. Louis County Police  said he took a bottle of Absolut vodka from a shelf in Shop ‘n Save at 196 Mayfair Plaza in Spanish Lake and put it in his pants pocket at about 7:35 p.m. Sept. 10. Police said he passed all points of sale without trying to pay for the bottle.

When a security guard approached him, he responded, “Don’t touch me or I’ll (mess) you up,” according to a police report. When the security guard tried to apprehend him, Walls punched him in the face.

The two struggled until another security guard arrived, and the struggle went on another several minutes, police said.

Bond was set at $15,000 for Walls.

For more crime information on Hazelwood Patch, see the following articles:

• North County Man Charged in Recent Bank Robbery
• Stranger Knocks on Door, Robs Woman in Hazelwood Hotel Room
• Hazelwood Police Officer Recognized for Takedown During QuikTrip Robbery