Tiffin Walmart employees, EMTs calmly de-escalate situation involving teen with special needs at store

Tiffin, Ohio — The Tiffin Police Department gave a shoutout to the Tiffin Fire-Rescue Division and employees of Tiffin Walmart on Saturday after an incident with a special needs teenager.

Shortly after noon Saturday, officers and emergency medical personnel were dispatched to a report of a customer attacking other customers and employees at Walmart, according to a Facebook post from the Tiffin Police Department.

“When the first officer arrived, our local store employees already had the subject (a 16 year old boy with special needs) down on the ground,” TPD’s post states. “This was done to stop him from being violent, but more than that, when the employees realized they were dealing with someone with special needs most of the employees were talking calmly and rubbing his back and head to keep him from being agitated.”

Officers at the scene didn’t have to get involved or arrest anyone.

“We mainly just supervised until the situation was resolved,” the Facebook post from TPD states. “When EMS arrived, I again was impressed to see them get down to the boy’s level and care for him in the way we have come to expect from our professional Fire/Rescue Division.”