WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP -- Officials in Luzerne County said a 24-year-old man was stabbed at the Wyoming Valley Mall Monday evening.
Police said the man was chased into the back of the Finish Line shoe store and was stabbed around 7 p.m. Monday.
Authorities now say the crime does not appear to be random, and the victim is not cooperating with investigators.
Newswatch 16 told you last fall that PREIT, the owner of the mall, hired a private security company to patrol the shopping center instead of Wilkes-Barre Township police.
The crime in a public place still left some shoppers in the Wyoming Valley on edge.
"I was very concerned, thinking you never know what's going to happen when you're out there shopping," said Leslie Brezinski.
"It makes your wonder how good security is, I mean you can't even go outside these days," said Kimberly Peck. "You don’t know what's around."
Other shoppers told Newswatch 16 that they won't let an act of violence change their plans.
"I think its just unfortunate.... we’ll continue walking and shopping here," said Tina Sabatini. "What are we going to do lock ourselves in?"
There are surveillance cameras inside the shoe store, but it's unclear if the stabbing or the attacker's face was recorded.
