Wednesday’s stabbing attack at Dyke Industries is adding to the violence that’s plagued the capital city this year. There've already been more shootings than last year, including four in the past five days, two of which were fatal.
Derrick Tucker says he was at work at Dyke Industries Wednesday when the stabbings took place.
He and a co-worker were building a door when he heard a colleague in the front office say to call an ambulance. "We seen a gash on his arm," Tucker says. "So we’re thinking he got hurt in the warehouse or something probably fell on him in the warehouse or something like that."
He would quickly realize this wasn't a typical workplace injury.
“Next thing we know, we see another guy, we call him Sir Sir. And when we seen Sir Sir, his shirt was bloody and ripped. So when we seen that, we was like 'well did them two get into it on the job or whatever the case may be?' And then Sir Sir went to saying, ''Twan just stabbed me!'
Police have identified the suspect as fellow employee, 41-year-old Antwann Brown. He stabbed five people including the manager at the location.
"He was stabbed in the neck he was gushing blood." Tucker says, describing the manager's injury. "So I went back to my area to get my phone to call 9-1-1, but...when I looked up he [Brown] was right behind me with a knife over me. So I took off running out the back of the company."
Tucker says he ran until he got to safety, but was still close enough to see his co-workers come to the aid of a man coming into the office for an interview.
"He [Brown] stabbed this dude in the chest five times. And dude was in the parking lot trying to fight him off because he was trying to stab him some more. So, the only way we got rid of him was a bunch of our employees that had sticks and pipes and they chased him across the street," said Tucker.
Interim Police Chief Steve Outlaw called the actions of the co-workers brave.
“Several employees armed themselves with whatever they could and tried to engage him," said Outlaw.
The incident follows a weekend where two people were shot and killed. One outside of a local movie theatre, the other at Brittany Estates a mobile home park. But Outlaw maintains the city is safe, "as long as you’re not dealing in dope, selling dope or trying to steal somebody else’s dope."
He says most of these crimes happen between individuals who know each other.
