By: Richard L. Smith
A dispute over the speed of a checkout line at a Kearny Marshall’s store escalated into violence Saturday, leaving one woman (shopper) hospitalized with stab wounds, according to information released by the Kearny Police Department.
Police said officers were called to 175 Passaic Avenue after reports of a stabbing in the store’s parking lot.
When Sgt. Kelly, along with Officers Mauricio, Sosa, Cazares, and Sondej arrived, they found a woman wearing blood-soaked clothing suffering from multiple puncture wounds to her torso.
She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors determined her injuries were serious but not life-threatening.
Investigators learned the altercation began inside the store when shopper 25-year-old Ms. Amber I. Thompson of Newark became agitated over how slow the checkout line was moving.
Witnesses told police that Thompson threatened the victim, warning she would “see her outside” after one of the women allegedly ‘cut’ the line.
According to detectives, Thompson then purchased a set of kitchen knives, unboxed one of them, and followed the victim and her family into the parking lot.
As the victim approached her car, Thompson allegedly attacked her, stabbing her several times.
Officers located Thompson in the store’s bathroom, where a kitchen knife was recovered from a baby changing station.
She was arrested on the scene after witness statements confirmed her involvement.
Thompson has been charged with Aggravated Assault, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, and Endangering Another Person.
She was transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility, while the knife used in the attack was secured as evidence.
I shop at this Marshall’s just about every week, and while the lines are often long, the cashiers are professional and keep things moving quickly. Never enough to make me reach my ‘breaking point’.
The incident remains under investigation by Kearny detectives.