Off-duty officer attacked while working security at Walmart in Spartanburg SC
Spartanburg SC Aug 22 2020
An off-duty police officer working as a security guard for the Walmart at Dorman Center Drive was attacked Thursday by a man brandishing a knife who was later arrested in connection to the incident.
Spartanburg Police Department spokesman Maj. Art Littlejohn said in a released statement the attack happened shortly before 1:30 p.m. at 141 Dorman Center Drive when the off-duty officer was knocked to the ground and punched several times inside the store.
The off-duty officer was taken to the hospital for treatment.
A suspect identified as James Ray Cunningham, 22, of 225 W. Camelton Drive, Woodruff was arrested in connection to the case shortly after the attack occurred. Littlejohn said charges are pending in the incident.
Officers responded to the scene for a disturbance fight call but the call was upgraded to an officer down call en route to the scene.
Littlejohn stated when officers arrived at the scene a witness told them a man attacked the off-duty officer for no apparent reason. Customers and employees at the store pulled the man away from the officer during the fight.
Witnesses told the officers they saw the man in the attack running across the Walmart parking lot. Littlejohn said the suspect then got into a black vehicle parked at the bottom of the parking lot.
When the suspect tried to flee the scene, he crashed his vehicle into another vehicle and was taken safely into custody, Littlejohn said.
The driver of the vehicle struck in the incident was not injured. The vehicle crash is being investigated by the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
