Waukesha police officer injured, man arrested after Aldi incident
WAUKESHA, Wis. - A Wisconsin man is accused of injuring a Waukesha police officer during his March 15 arrest after an incident at Aldi.
Prosecutors charged 35-year-old Michael Drusch of Amery with resisting an officer (causing a soft tissue injury to an officer), resisting an officer and disorderly conduct.
According to a criminal complaint, police were called to Aldi on Saint Paul Avenue in Waukesha for a disorderly conduct complaint. Upon arrival, officers spoke with an employee who witnessed the incident.
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The employee told police that Drusch was yelling at a couple with a baby in the freezer area of the store, per the complaint. Drusch allegedly slammed the freezer aggressively and kept getting closer to the couple. The employee claimed Drusch was also following the couple and throwing his hands in the air.
Drusch then went to the register and continued yelling and "banging the sign on the register," the complaint states. The employee said the store was busy at the time, and other customers were staring because Drusch was "so loud."
Waukesha Aldi
Aldi's surveillance footage showed Drusch engaging with a male customer in the freezer aisle, according to the complaint. The footage shows Drusch slamming the freezer door shut and yelling at a male customer who appeared to be shopping with a female, who was pushing a stroller with a young child inside. Drusch continued to yell at the man for 20 seconds before returning to the check-out line.
The complaint states Drusch then checked out and pushed his cart toward the exit doors before immediately returning to the shopping area of the store to find the same man he was yelling at earlier. Drusch then followed the man around the store yelling. The complaint indicates the man and woman keep trying to walk away from Drusch and don't appear to engage with him.
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Drusch eventually went back to the check-out lines and selected a bag from a shelf, per the complaint. He then went to the register and was seen slamming a sign on the conveyor belt of the check-out line – continuously yelling.
The complaint alleges Drusch slammed his shopping cart on the floor of the business before leaving the business again – only to walk back in through the exit doors. He allegedly went directly to the registers again and was seen yelling and flailing his arms as he approached a worker. Drusch then left the store a final time.
Waukesha Aldi
Police found Drusch walking on Saint Paul Avenue toward Grandview Boulevard. Officers ordered him to stop, but the complaint states he ignored their commands and yelled "I haven't done anything." When officers told him he was being detained, he said "No, I'm not." At that time, police said Drusch began to reach for his Aldi bag. That's when officers gave the verbal command of "Stop, do not reach in that bag." Drusch allegedly grabbed the bag and began walking away.
According to the complaint, officers were concerned that there may have been a weapon in the Aldi bag and decided to tackle Drusch. During the physical altercation, an officer felt a pop in his shoulder and an intense sharp pain. The altercation ended after Drusch was knocked unconscious by officers. An ambulance was requested, and Drusch regained consciousness prior to the ambulance arriving.
The injured officer was taken to a Waukesha hospital for medical treatment.
Court records show Drusch made his initial court appearance on March 19, and his cash bond was set at $10,000.