'Shut down completely:' Man gets locked inside Walmart after losing track of time while shopping for dog food

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A trip to Walmart for dog food turned into hours of captivity for a man who was locked inside after the store closed for the night.

It is one of the craziest stories of Larry Todd's life. All he was trying to do was buy food for his dog Lulu.

"She's very, very close to me," said Todd.

Todd, 79, said he went to his Walmart Neighborhood Market off Doby Bridge Road in July 20. It was 30 minutes before the store was set to close at midnight. He said while searching for dog food in the back corner of the store, he lost track of time. It wasn't until he walked to the front of the store that he realized he was all alone.

"The place was shut down completely. I said, 'oh, I'm locked in,'" said Todd.

Todd said he thought someone from Walmart would've checked to make sure the store was empty before closing.

"That didn't happen," said Todd.

He said there was no closing announcement over the PA system. He said his concern grew when he realized he might have to spend the night in the store. After two hours inside, Todd said an alarm at the front of the store went off.

"I was interrogated by the police department," said Todd.

Fort Mill police arrived and, from the outside, didn't know whether Todd was locked in, or he had broken in.

"They searched me and put handcuffs on me," said Todd.

Eventually, police escorted him home.

"I guess I didn't look like a criminal. I hope I didn't," said Todd.

Now, he's got quite the story to share!

"And one I remember that won't happen again," said Todd.

He went back to the store the next day to get Lulu her food.