Police probe Walmart scuffle

A woman and her teenage daughter attacked an employee at the Oak Harbor Walmart Thursday.

A convoluted dispute over a man’s dating preferences led a woman and her teenage daughter to attack an employee at the Oak Harbor Walmart Thursday, according to police.

Capt. Bill Wilke with the Oak Harbor Police Department said a woman made threats against a employee who worked in the jewelry department and then jumped over the counter to attack her. The woman took several swings, but it was unclear if any connected.

As two other store employees rushed to restrain the attacker, the woman’s 17-year-old daughter went around the counter and assaulted the employee, the captain said.

The two suspects were gone when police arrived. Wilke said the investigation is ongoing and he doesn’t know if the victim wants to press charges.

Wilke explained that the suspects were apparently upset because the victim’s sister had a relationship with the teenager’s father.

While the victim suffered only minor injuries, the scuffle was dramatic enough that witnesses’ accounts quickly made their rounds on Whidbey social media circles.