Have you ever had one of those days where you just… you just want to go to Walmart and take a bat to 29 TVs? No? Me neither…
Apparently, however, Westley Strellis of Georgia is on a different wavelength than the rest of us. That’s right, he appeared at a Walmart in Georgia and grabbed an aluminum baseball bat from the sporting goods section and strolled on over to electronics then destroyed nearly three dozen TVs.
Law enforcement questioned Strellis following his arrest, but he cited his Fifth Amendment right to not answer questions, so the motive for his vandalism–which was captured on a store surveillance camera–is unknown. The police report notes that the suspect was carrying a bottle of Effexor XR, a prescription medicine Strellis said, “treats depression.”
When a Lilburn police officer approached later, Strellis was still sitting there, and he extended his arms and gestured for the officer to put handcuffs on him, according to a police report of the incident obtained by the AJC.
The arresting officer, Alex Hunt, found a bottle of prescription medicine in Strellis’ pocket. Strellis told Hunt the medication, Effexor XR, was a treatment for depression.
Lilburn police spokesman Capt. Bruce Hedley said surveillance video shows Strellis walking down the aisle and tossing the bat back and forth in his hands.
“He stands in front of the TV like he’s gonna hit a home run and just starts wailing on them,” Hedley said.
The TVs were reportedly valued at more than $22,000.
After the tirade, Hedley said Strellis simply laid the bat on the ground, sat down and waited for police to arrive.
“When officers got there, he just stood up and put his hands out,” Hedley said. “When they arrested him, he was a little dishelveled, but calm, cooperative and very matter-of-fact. He had one thing in mind: He wanted to go to jail but wouldn’t talk to us.”
Hedley said Strellis, whom jail records list as unemployed, never worked at the store and that employees there didn’t remember ever seeing him.