ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Police said a man with an "extensive violent criminal history" cut a Walgreens employee's neck with a knife Sunday afternoon.
The man, 40-year-old Alfred Pierce, is being held without bond after he was arrested and charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action.
In a press release, the Des Peres Police Department said the investigation started when a Walgreens employee called saying she was "scratched" in the neck by a man. When police reviewed video surveillance, they found that the injury was a result of a man cutting her with a knife.
Police said the video showed the man walking by the woman while she helped a customer. They said he circled back and made a cutting motion toward the employee's neck with a knife. He then walked out of the store and headed west on Manchester Road.
Officers in the area found him and took him into custody. Police said during the arrest, Pierce had a knife with a four-inch blade on him.
Police said they believe the incident to be a random act because the victim said she did not know the victim and the victim did not live in the immediate area of the crime. The St. Louis County prosecutor said his listed address was on the 5000 block of Queens Avenue in St. Louis.
According to online court records, Pierce has previously been charged with multiple crimes in Missouri, including third-degree assault and fourth-degree assault.
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