Hempfield Walmart customer hit in face with gun inside store, police say

A Greensburg man is accused of hitting a Walmart customer in the face with a gun on Tuesday evening, according to court papers.

State police said Ahseim S. Pestano, 29, was seen on surveillance video at the Hempfield store pulling a pistol from his front pocket and aiming it at the male customer’s face. The two wrestled over the gun and Pestano hit him in the face with the weapon, police said.

The injured customer told police he got into an argument with a Walmart employee around 7 p.m., which has been an ongoing problem between them, according to court papers. Pestano confronted the customer at the checkout area after being contacted by the employee, who is a family member, police said.

It was unclear if the injured customer was taken to a hospital. Police said he had a face wound.

Pestano claimed during an interview with troopers that the customer threatened to stab him but said there was no knife involved, according to court papers.

Pestano was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment. He was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison after failing to post $50,000 bail. He did not have an attorney listed in online court records. A preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 10.

Walmart does not allow customers to open carry firearms into stores even in states where open carry is permitted, with the exception of law enforcement officers. Stores follow state law when it comes to concealed carry permit holders. It is unclear from court papers if Pestano had such a permit.