Shiprock man faces charge after fight at Walmart

FARMINGTON — A Shiprock man is accused of using a weapon during a fight in the parking lot at Walmart on West Main Street.
Grant John, 33, was charged in Farmington Magistrate Court with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, a third-degree felony, according to court records.
An officer responded to a call at 9:08 p.m. on Aug. 15 to locate an armed suspect on the west side of Farmington, according to the probable cause statement.
Dispatch notified the officer that a fight had occurred outside Walmart, 1400 W. Main St., and the suspect was last seen near Octopus Car Wash, 1309 W. Main St.
The officer was driving on Murray Drive towards Main Street and saw a man matching the description provided to dispatch.
The man, later identified as John, had objects in his right hand and was stopped at gunpoint by another officer.
That officer asked John to show his hands and told him to get down on his knees, and John complied.
The first officer noticed one of the items John held had two sharp, shiny metal points at the end. That item was later taken as evidence, according to the probable cause statement.
John was handcuffed and read his Miranda rights.
The officer noted in the probable cause statement that John appeared to be highly intoxicated.
In response to a question by the officer about what happened at Walmart, John stated he got into a fight and defended himself.
At Walmart, another officer had detained a 30-year-old man, who told the officer that John swung at him with a tool.
The officer wrote in the probable cause statement the man had a welt near his right eye and appeared to be intoxicated.
The man told the officer that he was struck with the back of a tool during the fight. He was taken to the emergency room for precautionary measures.
Witnesses told the police they saw two males yelling in the store parking lot. They described the clothing both men were wearing and said John had a weapon.
John was transported to the San Juan County Adult Detention Center, where he was booked for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
A records check revealed John was on probation and parole. He remains in custody at the detention center.
He has a preliminary examination hearing on Wednesday in magistrate court.
Noel Lyn Smith covers the Navajo Nation for The Daily Times. She can be reached at 505-564-4636.