Man pepper sprayed in local Walmart parking lot

Bystanders used pepper spray on a man they thought posed a threat to some teenagers in the parking lot of a local Walmart store.

Waco police say the man was arguing with his stepchildren in the Walmart parking lot off of Franklin Avenue.

During the argument, he was scratching his neck with a closed pocket knife.

Passersby believed the man was threatening the teenagers and used pepper spray on him.

The man fled to the back parking lot of Peter Piper's Pizza, where police say they found him in a mental breakdown and attempted to de-escalate the situation.

According to the responding officers, the man has been prescribed medication for mental illness, but has not been taking it.

While he wasn't charged with anything pertaining to the incident, the man was taken to the Mclennan County Jail on outstanding warrants.