The suspect was arrested after police said a woman was stabbed once in the back.
DECATUR, Ga. — A 22-year-old Lithonia man was accused in an arrest warrant of taking a butter knife from his table at a Decatur restaurant and stabbing a woman he did not know as she ate lunch nearby.
The warrant gave investigators’ clearest early account of the May 19 stabbing at the First Watch on Blackmon Drive. Police said Walter Scrutchings Jr. was at the restaurant with his mother before he approached the victim at another table. The woman was stabbed once in the back, left the restaurant for help and was later taken to a hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.
Police were called to the restaurant about 12:40 p.m., placing the attack in the middle of a weekday lunch period. First Watch serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, and the Decatur location is surrounded by nearby businesses that draw workers, shoppers and regular customers during the day. Officers identified Scrutchings as the suspect and arrested him. He was booked into the DeKalb County Jail on an aggravated assault charge.
The woman’s name has not been made public, and police have not said whether she was alone or eating with others when she was stabbed. The first public reports said she was enjoying a meal when a stranger walked up and attacked her from behind. After she was wounded, she made her way to a neighboring business and called for help. That act brought emergency responders to the area and gave police a starting point for the investigation.
The warrant’s detail about the butter knife added a specific object to the case but did not answer the central question of motive. Police have not said why Scrutchings allegedly attacked the woman. They also have not said whether any words were exchanged before the stabbing. The case has been described by authorities and witnesses as sudden, with no known connection between the woman and the man accused of stabbing her.
Scrutchings’ mother told police that he suffers from a mental health disorder, according to the warrant. That statement is part of the reported record but does not decide any legal issue on its own. Courts, not police, determine whether a defendant is competent to proceed or whether mental health evidence affects criminal responsibility. As of the early reporting, Scrutchings faced the aggravated assault charge and remained in custody. Aggravated assault cases often turn on the alleged weapon, the injury and the circumstances of the attack. In this case, police said the woman was stabbed in the back while seated at a restaurant table. They have not released photographs, body camera footage, surveillance video or a full incident report. They also have not said whether investigators recovered the knife from the restaurant table or from another part of the scene.
A witness who spoke publicly said she and a coworker were inside the restaurant on a lunch break from a nearby health care office when the attack occurred. She said a random person came up behind the woman and stabbed her. DeKalb County police later confirmed the broad account that a woman eating lunch had been stabbed by a person she did not know. The witness account helped explain why the stabbing drew such strong attention from nearby customers.
The restaurant address became a key part of the public record. Police said the attack happened at the First Watch in the 2500 block of Blackmon Drive, and some reports listed the location as 2571 Blackmon Drive. The site is in DeKalb County, in Decatur, northeast of Atlanta. The area includes local shopping, restaurants and offices, making the lunch-hour timing especially visible to people who live or work nearby.
Residents and customers reacted with surprise because the violence happened in a place built around routine daytime meals. “That is shocking,” customer Topher Payne said after the attack. Charlie Cote, who lives nearby, said the area has long felt safe and pedestrian-friendly. The comments did not change the facts of the case, but they showed how the stabbing disturbed a neighborhood where people often move between restaurants, shops and offices on foot.
No court record released in the first reports listed a future hearing date for Scrutchings. Booking information showed his DeKalb County booking date as May 19, the same day police said the stabbing occurred. Prosecutors will decide how to move the case forward, including whether the aggravated assault charge remains the sole charge or whether additional counts are filed after a fuller review of evidence.
The woman was expected to recover, but the investigation remains active. Police have not released a motive, a full statement from Scrutchings or more medical details about the victim. The case now moves from the restaurant scene to the court process, where the warrant, witness accounts and any physical evidence are expected to guide the next steps.
Author note: Last updated June 19, 2026.