Holly MatkinColumbia, SC – A U.S. military veteran heroically took down a knife-wielding attacker inside a Walmart store earlier this month by bashing him in the head with a metal stanchion (video below).
The incident occurred at the Walmart store on Two Notch Road at approximately 2 p.m. on Jan. 4, WIS reported.
According to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD), witnesses later told investigators they saw a man waving a knife around in the self-checkout area of the store, threatening shoppers and employees.
Demario Davis, a U.S. military veteran, said he was shopping with his son when the mayhem erupted, FOX News reported.
“I was at the checkout when my son noticed the guy walk in with the knife open,” Davis recalled. “He then proceeded to the service desk waving the knife at a few female employees.”
As the workers took off running, Davis said he turned to a female employee and asked her where the store’s security officers were.
“She states she was security,” he told FOX News.
Davis said he made his way over to where the armed man was located and saw him “terrorizing other customers and employees” while waving the knife around.
“When the cops get here, I’m going to start cutting you all up!” the suspect declared, according to Davis.
Cell phone footage showed the suspect waving the blade as a witness stood just feet away, apparently trying to convince him to put down his weapon.
The video showed the suspect taking a swipe at the man during the encounter.
“Another customer tried to subdue the gentleman waving the knife, but the guy tried to cut him in the face,” Davis told FOX News. “That’s when my military training kicked in…”
Davis casually made his way over to a stanchion as the suspect’s back was turned towards him, the video showed.
The military veteran then raised the stanchion over his head and bashed the armed man in the head from behind, dropping him to the ground.
Another man swooped in and snatched the suspect’s knife away as other witnesses swarmed in around him, the video showed.
Davis said he held the suspect down until RCSD deputies arrived and took him into custody, WIS reported.
“My first instinct was to neutralize the situation so I just casually walked over and waited until I had an opportunity to get him and I got ‘em, I guess,” he later told the news outlet. “I’m a community person, so if I see something in the community that’s not right, with all the violence and things and attacks going on, gun violence you know, you want your people in the community to step up as well.”
“The cops can’t do it all by themselves,” he added.
The RCSD said the suspect was assessed by the department’s Crisis Intervention Team and was subsequently transported to the hospital for an evaluation, WIS reported.
It is unclear whether any criminal charges were filed.
The suspect’s identity was not immediately released.
Watch the incident unfold in the video below. Warning – Graphic Content:
