A man who smashed a Walmart jewelry display case with two hammers was shot by an off-duty Secret Service officer in Northern Virginia Thursday afternoon.
The incident was reported just before 5 p.m. at the Walmart near Potomac Mills mall on Worth Avenue.
According to Prince William County Police, 21-year-old Mohamed Sankoh of Fayetteville, North Carolina broke the glass display cases of the store's jewelry counter using two hammers, then fled the scene.
Customers and employees described the scene as "chaotic" as they took cover.
"All of a sudden, I heard all these women and children screaming, and they were all running toward one side of the store," shopper Mike Swain said. "I just kind of ducked behind the DVD aisle."
An off-duty Secret Service officer followed Sankoh outside the store and into the parking lot. Police say the Sankoh ignored commands by the off-duty officer, and was then shot. Sankoh was transported to a local hospital and as of Friday, remained in stable condition. He's due in court Dec. 1.
"It's unknown whether [he was a threat] but he did have two hammers in his hands that could do some damage," Jonathan Berok with Prince William County Police said.
