A New Jersey man has been sentenced to prison after prosecutors said he violently assaulted a Walmart employee. Shawn C. Thomas, 50, of Maple Drive, Vineland, has been sentenced to seven years in New Jersey State Prision after pleading guilty to second-degree aggravated assault, the Cumberland C ounty Prosecutor’s Office announced. Back in July of 2023, members of the Vineland Police Department were dispatched to the Walmart located at 1070 West Landis Avenue in Vineland after receiving a report of a Walmart employee, a man aged 56 at the time, who was assaulted by a customer and was unconscious. Prosecutors said Walmart’s loss prevention personnel provided police with surveillance footage showing Thomas passing through the self-checkout registers without paying for all the items in his cart. When he was approached by the employee, prosecutors said Thomas struck him one time, which was forceful enough to cause the employee to fall unconscious to the floor. Thomas then left the store. The employee sustained serious injuries, including a brain bleed and concussion, prosecutors said. ...read more read less