BIRMINGHAM, Mich. – A man threatened to shoot a worker and police while robbing a Kroger in Oakland County, police said.
Joel Ryan Stalker, 35, of Pontiac, is charged in connection with a robbery that happened Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, at the Kroger at Maple Road and Woodward Avenue in Birmingham.
Police said Stalker went to the store at 9:45 p.m. Saturday with a gun. He threatened to shoot an employee and then said he would shoot police if they arrived, according to Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald.
Stalker ran away, but he was quickly tracked down by police. Officers said he had an Airsoft gun and items that had been stolen from the store.
When police told Stalker to show his hands, he tried to “physically assault” them, McDonald said. He was eventually arrested and brought to the Oakland County Jail.
“An armed robbery is terrifying for the victims, and it erodes a sense of safety in the entire community,” McDonald said. “It also endangers the lives of the victims and responding officers.”
Stalker was arraigned Monday at 48th District Court on charges of armed robbery, assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer, and felony firearm. Armed robbery is punishable by up to life in prison.
He is being held on a $100,000 bond, cash/surety, no 10%.
A probable cause conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. March 11, and a preliminary examination is scheduled for 10 a.m. March 18.
