Mich. Sheriff Lauds Citizens who Caught Stabbing Suspect: 'I Commend Them'
What to know
- Bystanders are being lauded for quickly stopping a suspect during stabbing attack at a Traverse City Walmart.
- Citizens used carts and verbal commands to detain the suspect, and a former military member held the suspect at gunpoint until police arrived.
- Grand Traverse County Sheriff Mike Shea praised the bystanders' actions, saying they prevented further people being injured during the incident.
By Tanda Gmiter
Source mlive.com
TRAVERSE CITY, MI - In the initial aftermath of the stabbing attack that left 11 people injured in a Traverse City Walmart this weekend, it was clear bystanders’ actions to stop and detain the suspect in the store’s parking lot led to his quick arrest by police.
And while authorities on Saturday only said there was citizen involvement, by Sunday’s press conference detailing the attack and arrest, the Grand Traverse County Sheriff didn’t hold back in praising those people who stepped up to stop the suspect.
Bystanders’ video that was shared on social media immediately following the attack showed a group of people herding the knife-carrying suspect to one area of the parking lot. They used their shopping carts and their bodies to close in on him. They yelled out commands to drop the knife and get on the ground. The suspect was kept down on the ground until the first deputy arrived within minutes of the 911 calls.
One of the bystanders had a pistol trained on the suspect, but did not shoot. At least two of the bystanders, including the man carrying the gun, were identified as former military, news reports said.
“What they did was amazing,” Grand Traverse County Sheriff Mike Shea said during Sunday’s press conference.
“At the time of the deputy’s arrival, multiple citizens, including one who was armed with a pistol, were confronting the male suspect in the parking lot and preventing him from harming further people and leaving.”
The deputy was able to take the suspect into custody without incident.
“First of all, I commend them,” Shea said. “It’s not very often that we have citizens that are willing to step up and take action.”
“I mean, when you look at the collaboration that took place - from the citizen involvement to all emergency services to our transport teams to Munson Medical Center, to the media - it is unbelievable and I think that speaks volumes for the community that we live in.”
Shea said that while his team and other local law enforcement train for crisis situations, being in the thick of an emergency is a different animal.
“When you stop and look at from the time of call to the time of actual custody, ... the individual was detained within one minute. And that is remarkable when you look at it. And that mitigated Lord knows how many additional victims.
“So as far as training, we can always do better. We will have a debriefing on this. We will critique it. We’ll talk about what we did right. We’ll talk about what we did wrong. And we’ll talk about how we can do it better. But overall, other than we have 11 victims, I’m very impressed.”
The local hospital gave an update on the victims’ conditions today, saying some already have been released and a couple have been transferred to another medical facility.
The suspect, a 42-year-old from Afton in Cheboygan County, is expected to be arraigned today or Tuesday.
You can see the sheriff’s full press conference video below:
Generative AI was used to transcribe the video for this story, which was reviewed and edited by MLive staff.
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