SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — A man is recovering from a punctured lung after being stabbed several times with a hair pick during a robbery at Tanger Outlets last Monday.
Southaven Police said the victim was inside the Guess store with his wife when a man began stabbing him and ripped a shopping bag containing a Coach purse and wallet out of his hand.
Police said the suspect also knocked over a baby stroller with a baby inside as he ran out of the store, but the baby was not hurt. Witnesses said several men also tackled him, but he managed to escape.
Officers who responded to a disturbance call at the outdoor mall saw 23-year-old Darrell Devante Martin running from the shopping center toward a church across the street. Investigators said Martin was eventually captured near the middle entrance of Tanger, and he was identified by his uncle, who was also on the scene.
The victim was driven by private vehicle to Baptist Hospital in West Memphis, Arkansas, where he was treated for multiple wounds to his right hand and body and a punctured lung.
Several shoppers at Tanger o Monday didn’t know anything about the stabbing. Tyrone Guy, who lives in Memphis, said it was his first trip to the Outlet Mall in months, and the crime does concern him.
“You don’t expect those kind of things to happened here in Southaven,” said Guy.
When they got to the Guess store, Southaven police said employees had already cleaned up the blood and thrown away the alleged weapon. Officers said they retrieved a hair pick from a trash can and a gray MTV hoodie Martin dropped outside the store.
Police said as Martin ran out of the store he tore the bag he had stolen and dropped the Coach purse and wallet. The items are valued at just over $600.
“We are fully cooperating with local law enforcement to provide any information as they investigate this incident. I’m sure you can understand that we can’t publicly disclose details that could compromise their ongoing investigations. Please reach out to local authorities directly with any further questions.”
The general manager of Tanger Outlets released the following in a statement
Martin has been charged with aggravated assault, robbery, disorderly conduct-failure to obey, giving false information to officers, and being a fugitive from justice. Southaven Police said there was a warrant for Martin out of Desoto County.
