"I just kind of stand my ground," Shubert told WANE. "And when he starts to rear back with the ax, I actually lunge forward, cause I don't want to be in the arc of where the blade is coming down. So, I lunge forward, I put my arm up and blocked the handle of it with my elbow area, and then grab the handle of the ax and rip it away from him."
Employees and other customers then tackled Harless and kept him in custody until police arrived.
Harless was arrested and charged with three counts of battery by means of a deadly weapon, criminal recklessness and battery resulting in bodily injury, WANE reported.
"I didn't stop him from hurting somebody. He actually did end up striking somebody, a customer in the face with it. But, I slowed him down quite a bit. And, I think if I hadn't slowed him down and given the police time to show up, then yeah, it probably could have gotten a lot worse," Shubert told WANE.
Shubert said his arm is sore but he is otherwise not injured.
"It is company policy to not comment on police-involved incidents but we are glad our associates and customers are safe," Lowe's officials told WANE.
About the Author