Fired Walmart Worker Offered Job Back After Saving Woman From Attacker (VIDEO)
A fired Walmart worker was offered his job back after the company let him go for helping an assault victim. Kristopher Oswald of Hartland Township, Detroit was trying to protect a woman Sunday from an angry attacker and was fired, but by Friday, he was offered the job again.
The firing of the Walmart worker occurred after the company determined what happened in the parking lot of the store. Oswald, who restocks groceries during the night shift, was outside on his 2:30 a.m. lunch break when he witnessed a woman attempting to move a man off of her vehicle in the parking lot. The man then began fighting with her, and Oswald felt he had to get involved.
"This was just intimidation, aggression and bullying I saw from a male, belligerent suspect on a defenseless woman," Oswald told WXYZ-TV.
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The 30-year-old Walmart worker confronted the man, who attacked him as well, punching him in the head and threatening him. Oswald managed to briefly overpower him, but was then jumped by two other men. Fortunately, Livingston County authorities arrived to break up the fight, but the consequences extended beyond that for the stocking employee.
"We had to make a tough decision, one that we don't take lightly, and he's no longer with the company," Walmart spokeswoman Ashley Hardie told the Associated Press. Oswald was fired Sunday for "violation of company policy," which directs employees to tell store managers and authorities, not intervene.
"The last thing I expected was to not have a job," Oswald said at the time.
However, after evaluation, the company decided Friday that the man had acted in the best interest of protecting another person and shouldn't be punished.
"The protocol is when you do see something, you alert store management and call the police. That's in place for the safety of our associates so they don't feel compelled to get into a situation that may be dangerous," Walmart spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan told Reuters.
"While Mr. Oswald did violate one of our policies at the time, we now have found his intentions were good," she added.
Oswald has not yet responded to the store about whether or not he will go back for his position.
