Auburn police on Wednesday arrested a Lewiston man and charged him with three domestic violence crimes after he threatened an ex-girlfriend with harm if she didn’t steal from Walmart, authorities said Thursday.

According to an Auburn police Facebook post, a employee at the store on Mt. Auburn Avenue approached a local police officer working a security detail at the store and told the officer a woman was inside the store claiming she had been threatened by an ex-boyfriend.

Harrison Coleman, 50, of Lewiston, was later located in a vehicle parked outside the store and charged with kidnapping, domestic violence assault and domestic violence criminal threatening.

According to the post, a preliminary investigation indicated Coleman had physically assaulted the victim, forced her into his vehicle, and drove her to Walmart.

Once at the store, Coleman allegedly instructed the victim to steal specific items and threatened to kill her if she did not comply, police said.

Once the woman was inside the store, she approached Walmart employees, who contacted the on-duty officer stationed in the parking lot, according to the post.

The officer talked to the woman, who reported she had been forced into a vehicle and brought to the store against her will. She said an ex-boyfriend threatened her if she did not steal from the store for him, according to police.

Police said they corroborated the woman’s account through a witness.

Additional officers responded to assist with the investigation.

Coleman was arrested and taken to the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn. He is being held without bail until he appears before a judge.

“The quick actions of Walmart employees and the close proximity of the initial responding officer ensured this victim’s safety and led to the swift arrest of the suspect,” Deputy Chief Tim Cougle wrote.

The Auburn Police Department continues to investigate the incident.