John Zalesky, a 67-year-old former Walmart employee from Aurora, Colorado, claims he was unjustly fired after being stabbed by a suspected shoplifter. Zalesky, who had a reputation for spotting potential thieves during his 10-month stint at a Centennial store, was part of a team that he and a fellow employee jokingly referred to as “Starsky & Hutch,” after the popular television crime-fighting duo. His efforts were recognized by Walmart, which awarded him a “Shrink Buster of the Month” award in February for his role in preventing inventory shrinkage, a significant issue for the store that reportedly lost $500,000 to theft the previous year.
Zalesky’s dismissal from the company followed an incident on August 11, when he was injured while attempting to stop a known repeat shoplifter. The woman, who had been flagged by another cashier, ignored Zalesky’s request to inspect her bag and fled the store. Zalesky pursued her to a car parked in a handicapped spot outside the store, where he was stabbed in the left forearm by a man accompanying the woman.
Despite the injury, Zalesky refused medical treatment, opting to clean and bandage the wound himself. He returned to work the following day, but was informed a week later that he was being let go for violating a company policy that prohibits employees from pursuing shoplifters outside the store.
Zalesky expressed disappointment and frustration at the decision, stating that his actions had saved the company significant amounts of money and that he had never been discouraged from intervening in thefts before. He also noted that he had hoped to work at the store for another decade before retiring.
In response to the incident, a Walmart representative stated that the company has trained associates to combat theft and follow company policies to ensure a safe environment for both employees and customers. The representative described Zalesky’s situation as “unfortunate” and wished him a speedy recovery.
Police are currently searching for the suspects, described as a man and a woman in their 30s. The woman is reported to have purple hair. Zalesky, meanwhile, has started a GoFundMe campaign to help with his finances and is considering his next steps.