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Attacker created terrifying panic in supermarket—two Mariners bravely jumped into action and saved many

Ruthlessly striking people with a knife, the attacker injured 11 people, but the Mariners ensured he was stopped and arrested before causing more damage.

BY ANGELINA DSOUZA

PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO

(L) Two men look worried after spotting something unusual while shopping. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images| Solstock), (R) Suspicious man making his way in public parking lot. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images| Jub Job)

Trigger warning: This story contains themes of violence that some readers may find distressing.

There was a terrifying panic at a Walmart in Traverse City when 42-year-old Bradford Gille was violently attacking people with a knife, as stated by Local 4 WDIV. The man ruthlessly began stabbing shoppers without a second thought, leaving 11 people injured. The man has been arrested and is facing multiple charges, but two Mariners are receiving applause for stepping into action in due time. Matthew Kolakowski, who served in the United States Marine Corps and his brother-in-law, Chris O’Brien, happened to be at the store. There was also another Mariner, Derek, present and together, the trio managed to stop the attacker from further harming the citizens.

Man shopping at supermarket. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by andresr)

Kolakowski had come to the store with his daughter and her friend, along with his brother-in-law, for a casual shopping trip. They were getting a few items before the families could head out on their boat trip when the attacker began stabbing people inside the store. While Kolakowski was at the cash counter, he overheard an employee say that someone had a knife and was heading to the front area. Before they could ponder anything, they heard screaming and people running out of the store. “It went from nothing to panic, extreme panic,” O’Brien recalled. As soon as the duo saw the man stabbing people, they were shocked.

Man holding knife slyly with criminal intentions. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by seksan Mongkhonkhamsao)

“The hardest part to understand was how he stabbed so many people. Originally, we only thought it was three people; we never would have guessed 11,” the man remarked. The next thing they knew, they had to defend and attack Gille before he made another attempt. Since Kolakowski had no weapons on him, he had to use whatever was at hand to put off the criminal. “I didn’t have a weapon, so I just grabbed an empty grocery cart and started running up behind him as hard as I could,” he recalled. His brother-in-law, too, grabbed a shopping cart and attacked Gille. Things were taking a chaotic turn with the attacker refusing to budge.

Alert man holding shopping cart at store. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by Chris Sattlberger)

At one point, Kolakowski saw the man stab another woman and then make eye contact with him as he was approaching him with the cart. Having been hit by the shopping cart several times, the man was finally starting to break. “It seemed like he couldn’t walk very well anymore, but he was still swinging that knife around like he meant business,” O’Brien mentioned. Finally, the second Mariner came onto the scene and pointed his gun towards the attacker, ordering him to drop his knife. “He did look like he was going to come back at us even though the gun was pointed at him,” Kolkawski said.

Officers making arrest and taking criminal into custody. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by Matto Matteo)

However, the trio managed to force him out of it. The man did as he was told and was eventually caught by Kolakowski and held until the police arrived. The officers immediately took Gille into custody and Kolakowski proceeded to help wounded victims with first aid. When asked about the attacker, the Mariner said, “It was either adrenaline or drugs on him. He was in panic mode, for sure.” He added that his actions were “unforgivable” and that “he should never see the light of day again.”