GRAHAM, Wash. — A Walgreens night shift manager was randomly stabbed inside their Graham location on Saturday, according to Pierce County deputies. Shortly after, those deputies found and arrested the suspect, James Keller, a 36-year-old man with a long criminal history.
According to the victim, they did not previously know each other; he said he’d never seen the man before in his life.
The victim, Jordan Biswell, said the suspect came into the store alone and said, "'Hey, man, me and my kids and my girl just got done shopping at Safeway. We need a ride. Is it cool if I call a cab? And I was like, 'Yeah, man, no problem. I just can't do it from this register. I'll meet you back in the photo department. He's like, 'Yep. All right, thank you.'"
Biswell added, "He looked like he was using drugs. But I didn't let that stop me from helping him. I wanted to. He just stood in my line politely."
Investigators said the suspect then called the taxi number Biswell found for him, but that he quickly got angry and started yelling at the dispatcher when she told him on the call that no cab was available. Deputies said the man then started demanding Biswell call Joint Base Lewis-McChord, a nearby military base, claiming he was a Marine and a Navy Seal.
"He's like starting to like do this kind of stuff," said Biswell, gesturing with his hands. "Grabs his pocket knife, walks around the counter, flicks it open and then grabs me by my hoodie and pulls me up, puts the knife to my throat on this side. And then he guided me to the front of the store while yelling. I was yelling for help."
He added, "[He was] pushing the blade in my throat, big time, and I could feel like the cold of the metal against me... I don't know, you can tell that I got a little scratch behind my ear, on my jaw here, and then the scratch here, a little bit, but somehow it was the back of the blade of the knife."
Biswell broke free before the man could slit his throat. But then, "He pulled the knife out as I'm going down," he said.
By kicking at the victim's legs, the man had gotten on top of him again.
"Stabbed me right here," gesturing to the upper right portion of his back. "It went 2 1/2 inches deep. It went into my scapula, fractured it straight through, tore up my muscle and then slightly punctured my lung," he said. "I lost about a liter of blood."
Eventually, Biswell was able to get away from the suspect. He was hospitalized and is being evaluated for potential future surgeries. An online fundraiser has been set up to help with his medical costs.
Records show Keller has an extensive criminal history that includes several felonies and other assaults. The 36-year-old was booked into jail and charged with attempted murder and second-degree assault. The judge ordered him held on a no-bail hold for a competency evaluation, according to the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
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