North Carolina Dad Stabbed in Neck With Kids in Car, Drives Into Same Knife-Wielding Man Charging at Wife

A North Carolina father was stabbed in the neck as he sat with his three young children in a supermarket car park, then drove his vehicle into the same knife-wielding man as he allegedly charged at the man's wife, authorities said. The incident unfolded outside a Food Lion store in Mocksville, Davie County, and ended with the suspect arrested at the scene.

The attack happened at about 8.30pm on Sunday, 30 August, at the Food Lion at 796 Valley Road in Mocksville, Davie County. At 8.32pm, deputies received a report of a person being stabbed at the supermarket, according to the Davie County Sheriff's Office.

The Attack in the Car Park

The father had dropped his wife at the store's front entrance before pulling into a parking space and remaining in the vehicle with the children. Local reports said the children were aged 5, 3 and 1.

Eric Eugene Burgess, 36, allegedly approached the vehicle on foot and struck the father in the chin and neck area with a knife. Burgess then returned to his vehicle while the injured father called his wife and 911.

The father drove towards the front of the supermarket to collect his wife. The sheriff's initial account said Burgess was approaching on foot when the woman came out of the store, while later court papers described Burgess as 'charging toward' her while carrying a 'large' fixed-blade knife.

The father drove into Burgess, knocking him to the ground. Burgess got back up and ran into the supermarket, where deputies later located him behind the deli counter.

A knife was recovered and Burgess was arrested without incident. Authorities said the father's injuries were not life-threatening and he required stitches.

Wife Describes Terror of Children Seeing Attack

The wife asked for prayers for the couple's three children, who 'witnessed the attack firsthand'. She said she saw blood on her husband's shirt and feared he might die.

She later said he was 'doing well after getting stitches'. She also thanked Davie County deputies and emergency medical personnel who responded to the scene.

She said the coming days would be hard and that she wished the memory could be erased from the children. She also said she ran inside after seeing the blood, fearing he had been stabbed in the chest.

The comments came in a statement the wife gave to WXII after the hearing. She said she had never been more terrified, and that she was grateful her husband was still with the family.

Police Say Attack Appeared Random

Sheriff J.D. Hartman said investigators had found no known relationship between Burgess and the family. Hartman described the incident as 'completely random', while authorities had not established a motive for the alleged attack.

Court papers said Burgess's vehicle was parked next to the family's car. Deputies closed the store while they investigated the stabbing and said there was no danger to the public.

Charges, Criminal Record and Bond

Burgess was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, going armed to the terror of the people, breaking and entering a motor vehicle, and assault on a female. He was initially held without bond before Judge Carlos Jané later set a $2 million secured bond.

Burgess appeared virtually in court on Monday, with Jané citing his extensive criminal history, including previous assault charges, when setting the bond.

The conditions prohibit Burgess from contacting the victims and require him to remain in Davie County. He was also ordered to stay away from any Food Lion location and from the victims' workplaces.

Prosecutors told the judge the stabbing was an unprovoked attack and described it as 'every citizen's worst nightmare', with the children present in the car. Local reporting on the proceedings said Burgess could face up to 22 years in prison if convicted. Burgess is due back in court on 10 September.