A Walmart employee in North Carolina is recovering after a violent parking lot encounter turned into a near-fatal stabbing, according to police and court officials.
Authorities in Greensboro say the incident unfolded Tuesday evening outside a Walmart store on West Wendover Avenue. Officers were dispatched around 7:30 p.m. after receiving reports of a stabbing involving a store employee who had been on her dinner break.
When police arrived, they found the victim suffering from a severe neck wound. Emergency responders transported her to a nearby hospital, where she underwent surgery. Despite the seriousness of the injuries, officials say she is expected to survive.
“Her injuries include a cut across her carotid artery, and the wound was deep enough to reach the top of her left lung,” a prosecutor told a judge during a bond hearing.
Investigators identified the suspect as Tokyia Brown, 52, who now faces a charge of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.
According to police, the confrontation began when Brown, who was sitting in a vehicle, allegedly exited and shoved a shopping cart into the victim’s parked car. The employee, who had been sitting inside her vehicle with the window down, reportedly got out after words were exchanged.
That’s when Brown allegedly used a “sharp object” attached to her keychain to stab the victim in the neck.
Bleeding heavily, the injured worker managed to run back into the store while applying pressure to the wound. Co-workers quickly called emergency services as the situation unfolded.
Surveillance footage from the parking lot captured the incident, providing key evidence for investigators.
Police later located and arrested Brown. She is currently being held without bond at the Guilford County Correctional Facility.
Court records show Brown is unemployed and has a prior conviction for simple assault. Additional past charges, including assault with a deadly weapon and communicating threats, were previously dismissed.
The motive behind the attack remains under investigation.
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