A man was arrested on September 25, 2024, after an altercation at a Walmart located on Bahia Avenue in Ocala. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office charged Shawn Swearingen with two counts of simple battery and one count of child abuse without great bodily harm, following an incident in which he allegedly struck multiple individuals, including a 3-year-old child.
According to the arrest report, Deputy M. Stringer responded to the store after receiving a call about a physical altercation. Upon arrival, Walmart staff escorted the deputy to a front office where witnesses and the involved parties were interviewed separately.
A witness reported seeing Swearingen in a heated verbal argument with one of the victims. The situation escalated when Swearingen allegedly yelled threats and began “swinging” at the victim. The witness stated that multiple punches were thrown, and attempts to intervene were unsuccessful until the altercation was broken up.
One of the victims told deputies that Swearingen had followed her and her child around the store, trying to get the child’s attention. After she asked him to leave, Swearingen allegedly confronted her, which led to the physical altercation. The victim reported that Swearingen struck her several times and hit her 3-year-old child in the face. Deputy Stringer observed a visible mark on the child’s left eye.
Another victim, who was in the store with the first victim, confirmed that Swearingen had approached them, taken a child out of their cart, and began walking with the child before being told to return the child. The altercation began shortly after, with Swearingen allegedly striking both adult victims. Deputy Stringer noted slight redness on one of the victim’s faces and confirmed the sequence of events after reviewing store surveillance footage, which showed Swearingen hitting the victims multiple times.
Swearingen was located at his residence later that day. After being read his Miranda rights, he admitted to being involved in the altercation but claimed that he didn’t know if he threw the first punch. He was subsequently arrested and transported to the Marion County Jail without further incident.
Swearingen does not have any prior battery convictions.
