A Manning man was arrested Sunday after police say he attempted to shoplift merchandise from a North Charleston Walmart and was found in possession of a controlled substance.

North Charleston Police officers (NCPD) say the incident occurred around 4:15 p.m. at the Walmart on Rivers Avenue, where an officer was working an off-duty assignment. An Asset Protection employee alerted the officer to a suspected shoplifting in progress, reporting that a man had concealed merchandise inside a backpack before entering a restroom near the electronics department.

The officer waited for backup before entering the restroom, where they found 29-year-old Brandon Tyler Driggers sitting on a closed toilet stall without using the facilities. Officers instructed him to exit the stall and reported seeing him holding a glass pipe commonly associated with smoking crack cocaine.

Police said Driggers was also holding a crumpled piece of paper containing 40 pink pills marked "1/2." Inside the paper was a torn plastic bag containing an additional pill that officers identified as Clonazepam (Klonopin), a Schedule IV controlled substance. Investigators said Driggers could not produce a valid prescription for the medication.

Asset Protection employees recovered the merchandise allegedly concealed in Driggers' backpack.

A records check revealed Driggers has multiple prior grand larceny convictions and had previously been issued a trespass notice barring him from the Walmart in July 2023. Police also reported he has several prior drug-related convictions.

Driggers was charged with Property Crime Enhancement–Shoplifting, Possession with Intent to Distribute a Schedule IV Controlled Substance, and Trespassing After Notice. He was booked into the Al Cannon Detention Center.