Written by: Sam Orlando
A dispute over a meal at the local Pizza Hut restaurant turned violent on Friday afternoon, resulting in a stabbing that left a customer injured, according to eyewitnesses and law enforcement officials.
The customer, identified as Joshua Ray Meadows, allegedly engaged in a heated argument with a store manager over his order before leaving the store, witnesses said. A Pizza Hut manager followed him out and confronted him in the parking lot, according to eyewitnesses. "The employee went after the guy after warning them to fix his order or refund, the customer said no, he called them a name and walked out to leave. The employee chased him into the parking lot," said Craig Mason, who witnessed the incident from a nearby Dairy Queen.
Once in the parking lot, Meadows allegedly pulled out a knife and attacked another customer, who according to eyewitnesses was a family member of a Pizza Hut employee. The victim suffered stab wounds to his leg and arm and was taken to a hospital, where he received stitches, according to information provided by eyewitnesses and confirmed via social media accounts.
The Augusta County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene and arrested Meadows, but has not released any further information about the suspect or the incident. According to Middle River Regional Jail, Meadows remains in jail on charges of Malicious Wounding.
The incident has rattled residents of Stuarts Draft, a small town in Augusta County. "It's ridiculous that this kind of senseless violence is happening here," said Erik Schneider, a Stuarts Draft resident and President of Executive Investigation Consultants. "I lived here to escape this kind of craziness." Schneider suggested residents should take their personal protection more seriously in the midst of what he called a rising tide in violent crime.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities urge anyone with information about the incident to contact them. Sheriff Donald Smith promised to release more information about the incident on Saturday afternoon, but as of Sunday, no additional information has been confirmed by the Sheriff.
Commentaires