A veteran recently subdued an aggravated knife-wielding man by swinging a pole at him at a South Carolina Walmart, taking control of the situation before sheriff’s deputies could arrive at the scene.
Video captured by a shopper shows the moment that self-described veteran Demario Davis sent the man, who was swinging his knife in the self-checkout area, tumbling to the ground.
The incident took place around 2 p.m. on Jan. 4, local news outlet WIS reported.
Davis described the experience to Fox News.
“My first instinct was to neutralize the situation, so I just casually walked over and waited until I had an opportunity to get him,” he said. “You want your people in the community to step up as well. The cops can’t do it all by themselves.”
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The veteran said he was at the checkout area when his son noticed the man walk into the store with the knife. The man went “to the service desk waving the knife at a few female employees,” who took off running, he said.
“I then asked a female employee, ‘Where is security?’ and she stated she was security,” Davis said, adding that he heard the man yell, “When the cops get here, I’m going to start cutting you all up.”
“Once I saw him swinging it — you know, I’m a veteran, and we’re trained on stuff like that in basic training,” Davis said.
Video shows what happened next. While the man’s back was turned, Davis grabbed a barrier post and swung it overhead down onto the man. Another man quickly steps in to secure the dropped knife.
The knife-wielding man was taken to a local hospital for evaluation after an assessment by the sheriff’s Crisis Intervention Team, WIS reported. No charges had been filed as of Jan. 5.
Davis told Fox that he has “received so many heartfelt comments and compliments from civilians and veterans all over for my brave act and quick response.”
