The following article was originally published on Huffington Post.

You steal, you die.

That’s the international policy apparently at Wal-Mart stores, where reports indicate another alleged shoplifter has died at the hands of a gang of overzealous Wal-Mart workers—this time in China.

According to the Associated Press report this week, Yu Xiachun, a 37-year-old woman, died 500 yards from the Wal-Mart store in Jiangxi province. Based on the local police report, Yu had exited the store and was on her way home on August 30th when she was surrounded by five Wal-Mart workers, who accused her of shoplifting.

The Wal-Mart workers asked Yu to produce a receipt, which she did. But then Yu tried to take the receipt back—questioning who the four men and one woman were, because no one was wearing a Wal-Mart uniform. The police say that the Wal-Mart workers fought with Yu, and she was knocked to the ground. She was taken to the hospital, where she died three days later. The police have arrested two of the young Wal-Mart workers who fought with Yu. It is not clear yet what they are being charged with, if anything.

Read the rest of this story ...

If you were to go to a store and steal something (not that I am suggesting you should) you might expect to be stopped, detained, maybe arrested and charged with a crime. What you probably wouldn’t expect is physical harm. Well, leave it to Walmart to break expectations. A man is suing Walmart for excessive force after four employees wrestled him to the ground for which he suffered a dislocated shoulder. Of course the man was shoplifting, which is illegal, but doesn’t four employees smashing you to the ground sound a little extreme when simply stopping the man probably would have sufficed?

The worst part of this story, though, is that this is hardly new. Walmart has a history of using brutal methods to stop shoplifters, or those they think are shoplifting. The result has been some pretty serious injuries and even, in a few cases, death.

Here is a piece of the article from the local TV station:

A Port Arthur man is suing Wal-Mart for injuries he received after he was caught shoplifting. It happened March 13th at the Wal-Mart on Twin City Highway in Port Arthur and it was all caught on tape. Jessica Holloway reports, attorneys say the shoplifter is suing because store employees went too far.

Surveillance video was taken from inside Wal-Mart in Port Arthur. It appears that four employees wrestle Michael Harris to the ground. Harris is suing Wal-mart and two employees for dislocating his shoulder. It’s what happened before, caught on tape, that led up to this point.

In addition to severe beatings and harassment from a team of hungry lawyers, Wal-Mart won’t think twice about humiliating a shoplifter in the press. 

Our guess is that Wal-Mart would have wanted the alleged criminal identified, but the Cleveland Plain-Dealer vetoed it?

Cleveland: Shoplifter at Steelyard Drive Walmart had hemorrhoid cream, suppositories [Cleveland.com]

SHOPLIFTING, STEELYARD DRIVE:  A 25-year-old East Boulevard man faces petty theft charges after workers at Walmart told police May 21 that he tried to steal two packages of hemorrhoid cream, a box of suppositories and a tube of warming massage oil from the store. The merchandise was valued at $28.

SHOPLIFTING, STEELYARD DRIVE:  A 51-year-old Horace Court man faces petty theft charges after workers at Walmart told police May 19 he tried to steal six Secret women’s deodorants from the store valued at $30.

Yikes.

(Seriously, though: does any other company get $28 shoplifting incidents written up in the newspaper? My guess is maybe, but not with Wal-Mart’s batting average. Check the rest of the crimes on the crime roundup page...there’s no doubt that the lead headline and Wal-Mart stories are BY FAR the most minor of the bunch....)

Is it just us or have there been an unusual number stories lately about shoplifting from Wal-Mart stores? Try a google news search for “Wal-Mart” and it seems that every other story is about a petty theft from Wal-Mart.

What’s going on? Is it the economy that’s driving people to steal or something else that’s driving reporters to write about it? We know the lengths Wal-Mart goes to prevent shoplifting in its stores, but we wonder how its PR department feels about Wal-Mart getting in the news this way....

Here’s a (very brief) sampling:

Albany Times Union, April 14, 2009:

“A 19-year-old Rensselaer man was charged with stealing from a Wal-Mart store, police said Monday… John W. Halacy...was confronted by a store security officer, whom he pushed away to escape, police said. Halacy then pushed others away before jumping into a gold Dodge Neon sedan that sped off, police said.”

Myrtle Beach Sun News, April 13, 2009:

“A mother and her two sons were detained in Wal-Mart after an employee told police they tried to steal water purifiers, silverware, clothing for a dog and other items, according to a police report.”

WOWT-DT Omaha, April 13, 2009 : 

“Omaha Police cited two woman for suspicion of shoplifting, and released them. Wal-Mart employees watched as they picked up various items of clothing and stuffed them into purses.”

WROC-TV Rochester, April 12, 2009 :

“State Police in Watertown arrested, 28 year-old, Loren N. Woodard, of Evans Mills, NY for 3 counts of Petit Larceny and 2 counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child… Both subjects are alleged to have stolen a camera, value $538.00, from Super Walmart, St-11, in the Town of Leray and using a 5 year old child to assist in the theft on March 24 and March 25. Mr. Woodard is also alleged to have stolen a USB thumb drive, value $42.00, from Super Walmart on April 4.”