Publix shoppers stunned when SC woman urinated on store floor in Columbia store
Editor’s note: Viewer discretion is advised for the video circulating on social media.
In an incident that left both shoppers and staff in disbelief, a woman was arrested after shocking onlookers by openly urinating in the middle of a Publix supermarket floor — as seen in a viral video on social media — following a shoplifting attempt.
The sequence of events unfolded Sunday afternoon, Jan. 4, at the busy location at 4611 Hardscrabble Road, where store employees first suspected the woman was trying to steal four packs of steak, according to an incident report.
Once confronted, the woman — identified as Cardesha Gilmore, 35 — became irate and began arguing with employees before dropping her pants and urinating on the floor near the store’s entrance, as seen in a video.
Gilmore was charged with indecent exposure, shoplifting under $2,000, disorderly conduct, pedestrian unlawfully in the roadway and assault while resisting arrest, according to a news release.
The State attempted to contact a spokesperson for Publix.
Several shoppers captured the incident on video and shared it on TikTok. Onlookers could be heard gasping in disbelief.
When deputies arrived, Gilmore fled on foot through the store’s parking lot and onto incoming traffic on Hardscrabble Road, according to an incident report.
She then stopped and was detained before attempting to flee a second time as deputies were attempting to place in the back of a patrol vehicle, where she resisted and kicked at a deputy, who dodged the strike.
Unwilling to provide her name to deputies, Gilmore was initially booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center under Jane Doe, the incident report said.
She was later identified and granted a surety bond totalling $17,640, according to a news release. She, however, remains housed at the jail according to the release and jail records.
