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An El Cajon police officer was attacked outside a Walmart Friday afternoon by a suspected shoplifter who swung a baseball bat at the officer, striking him in an arm, police said.

The incident started just before 3:40 p.m. when employees at the Walmart on Fletcher Parkway called the El Cajon Police Department to report a man they said was trying to steal sporting goods from the store, Lt. Will Guerin said in a news release.

The loss-prevention employees told police the man had made threats of violence while brandishing an aluminum bat inside the store. They followed the man, but eventually lost sight of him.

The employees had not located the shoplifting suspect by the time the police officer arrived, according to Guerin. As the officer approached the front of the store from the parking lot, the suspect walked out, still holding the baseball bat.

He confronted the officer, police said, ignoring commands to drop the bat. Seconds later, the man charged at the officer while holding the bat above his head.