It feels like something wild is always happening inside a Walmart. The store has become synonymous with a series of colorful shoppers and maybe even criminal activity. But that doesn’t stop people from shopping at the popular big-box store. One incident, though, thoroughly shocked us: Shortly before Christmas, a dad in Oregon had to stop an attempted kidnapping while shopping at the store with his family. A man with a knife tried taking one of his kids. Luckily, the dad was able to thwart the armed man, who faces multiple charges.
Several deputies from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Cornelius responded to an attempted kidnapping at the Cornelius Walmart on December 21, 2025, they noted in a news release posted on social media. In addition, police officers from the Hillsboro, Beaverton, and Forest Grove Police Departments responded, per the report.
The person who called told authorities that a man armed with a knife tried to take their child from their stroller while inside the store.
“The father stopped the man from grabbing the child out of the stroller, but was injured during the confrontation. As they struggled, the attacker pulled a knife from a pocket, but fortunately dropped it,” the release read.
Before deputies arrived, the suspect, who they identified as 37-year-old Denis Villalobos, left. He drove away in a white Jeep, and a witness was able to give authorities a license plate number, which led to his location. Villalobos was found “a short distance” from the Walmart where the attempted kidnapping took place, the sheriff’s office shared.
“It’s kind of scary. Especially the fact that he lives around this neighborhood,” the child’s mother told KOIN. “It’s actually nice to live in a small community where we have the police department around the area doing their job and very close by. So we’re, we’re very thankful for that.”
Corporal David Huey of the sheriff’s office also spoke with the outlet, saying Villalobos was following the family during their shopping trip. “He looks like he’s staring at the child as the family walks by. And they don’t even know who he is,” Huey said. “It’s almost as if the suspect was stalking them in a sense.”
Villalobos was arrested by a Forest Grove police officer and taken to Washington County Jail, the sheriff’s office reported. On December 29, 2025, he was indicted on charges including attempted kidnapping in the second degree, assault in the second degree, assault in the fourth degree, unlawful use of a weapon, and menacing.
