Shoplifting suspect fired at security guard after getting kicked out of Eagle River Walmart, charges say

A man kicked out of the Eagle River Walmart for suspected shoplifting Monday later fired at a security guard as they both drove through the community, according to a police report summary filed with charges.

Donovan Dennis, 32, was arrested on felony charges of misconduct involving a weapon and third-degree assault as well as misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment and failure to stop at the direction of a police officer.

No one was injured during the incident, police said.

The Walmart employee, an asset protection manager, returned to work Monday evening after an employee messaged about a group of people trying to shoplift, according to a summary of police reports written by Assistant District Attorney Alice Curci and attached to charges. After reviewing surveillance video, he asked the suspected shoplifters to leave the store, the summary said.

The group, still in the parking lot when the guard left the store, followed him when he drove away, the summary said. Dennis was later identified as the driver, according to police.

Just before 10:30 p.m., the guard called police dispatchers from the parking lot to report the shoplifters and then stayed on the phone as he drove and told them he was being followed by the suspect “through Eagle River,” police said.

A few minutes later, the guard said Dennis drove toward him and fired shots, which dispatchers could hear over the phone, they said.

The guard pulled into a housing area and turned off his headlights to hide, according to the police report summary. Neither he nor the passenger in his car were injured, police said.

Police saw Dennis’ truck on the Glenn Highway and tried to stop him but he accelerated instead, they said. He lost control on the icy road and got stuck in a snowbank, where he was surrounded by patrol cars and arrested without further incident, police said.

The two passengers in Dennis’ truck are not facing criminal charges.

Dennis was in custody Thursday morning at the Anchorage Correctional Complex and was being held on a $5,000 bail that required electronic monitoring upon his release. He is being represented by a public defender. A message for the Public Defender Agency was not immediately returned Thursday.