A man wanted on armed robbery charges for allegedly pulling a gun on two Walmart employees in McComb on Tuesday night is behind bars following an hourlong standoff with sheriff’s deputies Wednesday.
Joseph Stallings, 31, was found hiding under his mother’s mobile home in the Homestead community after Pike County sheriff’s deputies received a tip regarding his whereabouts, Chief Investigator Chris Bell said.
Deputies responded to 3143 Highway 98 East around 7 p.m. Bell said deputies searched the house but couldn’t find Stallings inside. Deputies set up a perimeter around the home and found Stallings hiding under it.
Bell said Stallings apparently used a trap door near the front entrance of the home to get under the trailer.
The sheriff’s SWAT team responded but Stallings had surrendered before its arrival.
Stallings allegedly fired a shot at deputies from under the home.
Detective Sgt. Robbie Roberts and Capt. Brian Mullins spoke to Stallings and convinced him to surrender, Bell said.
Stallings reportedly had a .380-caliber Glock handgun on him when he was captured.
Bell said no one was harmed during the standoff.
Stallings was wanted by McComb police after he allegedly tried to steal a tablet computer and some phone accessories from the Walmart electronics department the night before.
McComb police Detective Lt. Shannon Sullivan said Stallings allegedly removed security devices from the merchandise.
Sullivan said Walmart employees attempted to stop Stallings and he brandished a small-caliber handgun. It’s unknown if that was the same handgun deputies retrieved from him after the standoff.
Sullivan said Stallings left Walmart and headed toward Walgreens, where he got into a white Ford Crown Victoria and headed east on Northwest Avenue.
After his capture, Stallings was taken to Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center for an evaluation and placed on suicide watch.
Sullivan said the value of the merchandise Stallings allegedly tried to steal wouldn’t have been enough to bring felony charges, but he now faces more serious infractions since he threatened people with a gun.
Stallings is being held in the Pike County jail in lieu of $250,000 bond.
