3 stabbed minutes apart in ‘random’ attacks, SC officials say. Man now going to prison
Three people were stabbed minutes apart in “random and unprovoked” knife attacks — and now a South Carolina man is going to prison, officials said.
Tony Michael Smith, 34, was sentenced to more than a decade behind bars after he pleaded guilty to attempted murder and “possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime,” according to Spartanburg-area prosecutors.
An attorney believed to be representing Smith didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on July 22.
Smith entered his plea on July 19, more than eight months after he was accused of several assaults, including one outside a QuikTrip convenience store on West Main Street in Spartanburg.
“The attacks appear to have been random and unprovoked,” 7th Judicial Circuit Solicitor Barry Barnette said in a news release. “Law enforcement responded quickly and stopped the situation from becoming more serious.”
The solicitor’s office said the rampage started on Nov. 6 in Spartanburg. While on North Forest Street, Smith left a 56-year-old bleeding from his face and a 58-year-old with a knife wound, according to officials.
“Smith then walked to the QT store and cut a 27-year-old man in the neck while he stood outside of his (truck) at a gas pump,” prosecutors wrote in their release.
Officials said Smith was arrested near the store, and video footage helped to link him to the stabbings.
Now, Smith has been ordered to spend 15 years in prison. The Spartanburg resident must serve at least 85% of the sentence before he can be released, according to prosecutors.
This story was originally published July 22, 2022 at 8:10 AM with the headline "3 stabbed minutes apart in ‘random’ attacks, SC officials say. Man now going to prison."
