Police Arrest Man Accused of Swiping Security Guard With Machete
Victorville CA Sept 24 2018
A 23-year-old parolee suspected of robbing a Victorville grocery store while brandishing a machete has been arrested, officials said Friday, days after investigators released surveillance video of the incident.
Multiple members of the public came forward to identify the man in the footage as Victorville resident Kenneth Bryant after the video was released Wednesday, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
The incident occurred the night of March 12 inside the Food 4 Less at 14738 La Paz Drive.
Bryant allegedly went into the store with a woman and another man, filled up a shopping cart then began to leave without paying.
A security guard confronted the group and asked to see their receipt. Surveillance video from the store shows the man identified as Bryant pulling a machete from his shorts and swinging it toward the man.
It caught the guard’s hand and cut it, sheriff’s officials said.
The trio is then seen fleeing into the parking lot.
After a six-month investigation, Bryant was arrested around 5 p.m. Thursday in Victorville.
Authorities said he already had a separate warrant out for his arrest when he was taken into custody on suspicion of robbery, but they didn’t specify what the warrant was for. He is also being accused of violating the terms of his parole.
Bryant is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 24, according to inmate records.
Detectives have still not said whether they suspect the Food 4 Less incident is connected to two other attacks involving a suspect with a machete at homes nearby.
The first of those occurred Aug. 27, when a woman was targeted by a man with a machete while arriving home at night. The assailant stole her purse and left her with significant injuries, officials said.
Then on Sept. 1, a teen was accosted outside her home by a machete-wielding man who stole her purse.
Both incidents involved a dark-colored sedan that appeared to be trailing the victims, and a suspect described as a male between 16 and 24 years old in a hooded sweatshirt.
Meanwhile, officials are still searching for the other two individuals seen in the grocery store March 12.
The woman is described as Hispanic and being about 5 feet 4 inches tall with dark, shoulder-length hair. The other man is only described as Hispanic or black.
Anyone with information on the incident can contact Detective S. Nobles at 760-241-2911.
