A man is recovering after he was stabbed twice inside a Northeast Philadelphia grocery store. Yet according to Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small, it's what customers did after the stabbing that was almost as shocking as the initial crime.
"It was somewhat surprising that some of the shoppers wanted to finish their shopping," Small said.
The 50-year-old victim was inside the Pathmark store on 840 Cottman Avenue around 5:50 p.m. Tuesday when he was confronted by a 40-year-old man in the dairy aisle, according to police.
The 40-year-old man allegedly stabbed the 50-year-old man in the face and neck with a kitchen knife before fleeing the scene. According to investigators, the suspect and victim knew each other prior to the incident and they both arrived at the store separately.
The victim was taken to the hospital where he is in critical but stable condition.
Police tracked the suspect down on the train tracks about a mile away from the store. They also found his knife at a nearby KFC, according to investigators. He was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and other related offenses but has not yet been identified.
The Health Department was also notified due to blood being spilled in the store.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
According to investigators, at least 100 customers were inside the store at the time of the stabbing and many continued to shop before police arrived.
"There were many customers in the store who were shopping, standing on the blood, and pushing their shopping carts over the blood," Small said. "We had to tell them it was human blood."
According to investigators, one customer even asked a responding officer to reach over and pass him cheese.
The Pathmark was closed for the rest of the night as health department officials checked for food safety while crews cleaned and disinfected the crime scene.
