Shoplifting suspect stabs security guard, second person at East County grocery store
EAST COUNTY CA Jan 15, 2022 — A man suspected of shoplifting stabbed a grocery store security guard and another person after being confronted Thursday night inside an East County grocery store, a sheriff’s official said.
Paramedics took both victims to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and they were released late Thursday night, according to San Diego sheriff’s Lt. Chris Galve.
The incident occurred a little before 9 p.m. at the Smart & Final on Camino Canada off Los Coches Road just south of Interstate 8, in an unincorporated area near El Cajon and Lakeside, Galve said.
Callers who reported the incident told the Sheriff’s Department that a man had been shoplifting from the store when he was confronted, Galve said. One of the victims was a security guard, but Galve said there were conflicting reports whether the second victim was an employee or customer.
While some deputies helped firefighters treat the victims at the scene, others searched for the man responsible for the stabbing, who was last seen riding away on a bicycle, Galve said. A sheriff’s helicopter and trained dogs helped search for the man, but he evaded capture and was not in custody late Thursday.
Galve described the suspect as a homeless, roughly 40-year-old White man. In a series of tweets, the Sheriff’s Department described him as 5 feet 8 inches and about 120 pounds, with long, black curly hair and a beard. He wore a black beanie, black bandana and green and black jacket, and was considered armed and dangerous.
