Crime
Graphic Video Shows Shoppers Confront Suspect During Walmart Stabbing Incident in Traverse City
TRAVERSE CITY, MI — A chaotic and tragic scene unfolded Saturday afternoon at the Walmart Supercenter on Crossing Circle in Traverse City, Michigan, when a knife-wielding man carried out a mass stabbing that left 11 victims hospitalized, several critically injured.
The suspect, a 42-year-old Michigan man, is in custody following a swift response by both law enforcement and brave civilians — including an armed citizen who confronted the attacker inside the store.
The stabbing occurred just before 5:00 p.m., prompting a major emergency response.
Dozens of police officers, emergency medical teams, and fire personnel descended on the store. The suspect was quickly apprehended at the scene.
According to Munson Healthcare, 11 individuals are being treated for stab wounds, with six victims in critical condition and five others in serious condition.
Victims were located throughout multiple departments inside the store, some reportedly suffering severe wounds including injuries to the face and chest.
One person was said to have gone into cardiac arrest during the incident.
Eyewitness accounts paint a terrifying picture of the attack:
“It was a guy with a knife — people were screaming and running in all directions,” said Tasha Nash, a Walmart employee. “I saw someone stabbed in the eye.”
Amber Paull, another shopper, described the assailant as a foreign man who “just lost it” and began randomly attacking people in the produce and grocery section. “An African American man pulled a hero move — he drew his pistol and tried to stop the attacker,” Paull said. “But then people started screaming, and the suspect managed to slip back into the crowd.”
Kathryn Ann Clark told Channel2 Now that her friend’s son and another shopper physically confronted the suspect and helped subdue him. “It was definitely a stabbing,” she confirmed. “There were no shots fired, just brave people stepping in.”
Multiple victims — including an elderly woman and a child — were reportedly among those injured, though their current conditions have not been officially confirmed.
Witnesses reported seeing blood trails across several store aisles and victims being treated on the floor while medics applied tourniquets.
In a public notice, Grand Traverse 911 urged the public to avoid the area and confirmed, “There is no danger to the public at this time.”
The motive behind the attack remains unclear, and authorities have not released the suspect’s name pending further investigation.
Traverse City, a northern Michigan city located approximately 125 miles from Grand Rapids, is now the scene of one of the most violent retail-related incidents in recent state history.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reportedly been notified, and local law enforcement agencies are working to determine whether the attack was premeditated or random in nature.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has video footage is urged to contact Grand Traverse County authorities or Crime Stoppers as the investigation continues.
According to Bill Melugin, since the fatal shooting in Minnesota earlier this week, he has spoken with more than half a dozen federal officials involved in immigration enforcement, including several individuals in senior leadership roles.
These sources expressed growing unease and frustration with certain claims and narratives advanced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
Specifically, multiple sources said there is significant dissatisfaction with DHS officials publicly asserting that the individual who was killed, Alex Pretti, intended to carry out a “massacre” of federal agents or sought to inflict “maximum damage.”
The sources noted that these claims continued even after multiple videos surfaced that appear to contradict that narrative.
While the sources acknowledged that Pretti’s decision to arrive armed and involve himself in an active federal law enforcement operation was a serious error, they said there is no evidence indicating he intended to attack or kill officers.
According to available video footage, Pretti does not appear to have drawn his holstered firearm.
Several sources described DHS’s public messaging following the shooting as severely damaging from both a public relations and internal morale standpoint, warning that it has eroded trust and credibility.
Some compared the situation to prior instances in which federal messaging was widely criticized as misleading, saying the response has undermined confidence among both the public and rank-and-file personnel.
One source characterized DHS’s handling of the incident as “a case study in how not to conduct crisis communications.” Others expressed deep frustration, with one saying the agency’s response has worsened the situation, and another stating that DHS’s approach is costing the agency support and control of the broader narrative.
According to these officials, many believe the incident may ultimately be classified as a “bad shoot,” describing it as a rapidly unfolding, chaotic situation in which agents may have heard a warning of a firearm, followed by a possible accidental discharge after the weapon was disarmed, prompting officers to fire.
The sources emphasized that agents were forced to make split-second decisions without the benefit of multiple camera angles or hindsight analysis.
While all of the sources said they support the broader immigration enforcement and mass deportation agenda, they expressed serious concerns about how operations are being conducted and how incidents are communicated publicly.
Several also noted frustration that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is frequently blamed for actions taken by U.S. Border Patrol, which operates as a separate agency.
Melugin said he reached out to DHS for comment regarding concerns that the agency’s rhetoric and public statements have damaged its credibility.
In response, DHS provided the following statement to Fox News:
“We have seen a highly coordinated campaign of violence against our law enforcement. This individual committed a federal crime while armed as he obstructed an active law enforcement operation. As with any situation that is evolving, we work to give swift, accurate information to the American people as more information becomes available.”