Man ambushes Walmart worker with machete he stole from the store, Indiana cops say

An Indiana man shoplifted a machete from Walmart, then used it to attack an employee in the parking lot, according to investigators.

Police in Elkhart, a town roughly 160 miles north of Indianapolis, responded to a call about a “knife attack” at 8:33 a.m. on Aug. 2, a news release from the department says.

Investigators say the suspect had entered the Walmart, grabbed a machete, hid it in his backpack, and headed out into the parking lot.

The suspect, later identified as 25-year-old Elkhart resident Lincoln Leuchtner, called an employee over to him, police told TV station WNDU.

Once the worker came close, Leuchtner attacked, police said.

Leuchtner was gone when first responders arrived, having gotten onto a bicycle and pedaled away, according to Elkhart police. Fire department medics tended to the injured employee while officers launched a search for Leuchtner.

Police found him within an hour of the attack, on foot less than a mile from the Walmart, according to the release. He was placed under arrest and taken to the Elkhart County Jail.

The worker, who police said is a man in his early 30s, was transported to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Investigators did not say what may have motivated the attack.

This story was originally published August 3, 2022 at 3:13 PM with the headline "Man ambushes Walmart worker with machete he stole from the store, Indiana cops say."