Police believe the robber who fired a gun inside the Oak Park Walmart this week is the same man who robbed the store six months ago.
On Tuesday night, shoppers at the Walmart on College Avenue, just north of State Route 94, rushed to the exits after a man fired three shots inside the store.
Jonathan Brown was shopping for shoes when he said he heard two gunshots. Then he saw a large crowd heading to the back of the store.
“People were falling over and stuff, really trying to get out really fast so I was like, this must be serious,” Brown said.
Chaos followed with people running for the door, picking up their children and pushing and shoving each other to escape, he told NBC 7.
“It was just crazy, people were running everywhere," he said.
"You can imagine a Walmart in San Diego, how busy that is," SDPD Lt. Paul Phillips said.
He entered the store around 10 p.m., took out a handgun and demanded money from a cashier, witnesses told police. That's when he fired the weapon toward the ceiling, police said.
The suspect was last seen driving away in a silver Ford Mustang onto SR-94.
Police officers and investigators from multiple divisions arrived to help process the scene for evidence and information.
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"You can imagine how many witnesses there were," Phillips said.
Witness accounts point to three shots fired, but Phillips said evidence suggests there were two shots.
A similar crime took place at the same Walmart on Nov. 23, 2013, and police now believe the same man is responsible.
In November's incident, the suspect demanded cash from the returns counter and fired one shot toward the ceiling, officials said. His getaway car was described as a gray Lexus or Mustang, similar to the vehicle involved in Tuesday's robbery.
The suspect is described as an African American man 35 to 40 years old, about 6-feet tall with a heavy build. He had a beard and his hair was pulled back into a bun, according to police.
