Man accused of using hatchet in HD robbery

A man who entered a Home Depot store in Wilmington, Del., to buy a hatchet decided to rob the store instead, using the tool to threaten workers and smash open the cash register, according to a May 14 report in The News Journal and several other media outlets.

On May 13, Andre Walker allegedly took a hatchet and an orange bucket from a store display around 8 p.m. and brought them to a cash register, where a cashier began ringing him up. In the middle of the transaction, the 45-year-old suspect grabbed the hatchet and began demanding money, according to state police. He held the cashier by the shirt, and started swinging the hatchet at the register. Then he picked it up and threw it to the ground.

Walker continued bashing the register with the hatchet until it opened. Then he allegedly took an unspecified amount of cash and fled the store. Once outside, Walker climbed into the car of a startled motorist before changing his mind and re-entering the store. There he encountered a Home Depot manager, whom he threatened with the hatchet. Walker then fled the store.

Wilmington police, who were on the look-out for Walker, found him walking down the street in a nearby neighborhood. He was subdued with a Taser gun after refusing to surrender.

State police have charged Walker with first-degree robbery, possession of a deadly weapon during a felony, offensive touching and criminal mischief. Wilmington police charged him with resisting arrest.