2 Young Men Recovering After Being Stabbed At Target Store In Compton

COMPTON (CBSLA)  — Two young men are recovering in the hospital Saturday after being stabbed at a Target store in Compton.

CBS2/KCAL9’s Jake Reiner spoke to the family of one of the young men. A witness to what allegedly happened told a slightly different version of events.

“Who dropped the ball, why weren’t these boys protected?,” says Mark King, brother of one of the victims.

King is brother of 19-year-old Robert Stallworth. King said his brother and a 17-year-old friend were driving by the entrance to the Target on Alameda.

King says the young men stopped to let a family walk past. But Reiner spoke to a Target employee who said they almost hit the family.

The employee wished to remain anonymous.

“The father and the man in the car, exchanged some words, arguing,” said the employee.

“He was saying, you almost hit my family,” says King, “and he said, ‘No, I stopped. ”

The father allegedly said, “‘You guys should look both ways before crossing the street.'”

For a moment, it looked like that would be the end of it but the argument continued. King says the father followed the young men into the electronics department.

The witness had a different version.

“Eventually, the two gentlemen in the car came in the store looking for the guy,” he said.

“As they were fighting,” says King, “a random bystander ran over and was like, ‘Hey, I got your back’ and pretty much went in and by the time my brother turned around, the other kid was already stabbed and he noticed he had a knife coming out of his arm.”

The witness described a bloody scene.

“There’s a pool of blood in electronica going through the doggy aisle, going through toys, going through home and garden and then running out the door,” he said.

Stallworth and his friend are in the hospital. Police said they were transported in stable condition.

King said his brother is out of surgery but continuously vomiting.

“It’s a little sad that your own family member can’t go into an establishment and not be protected,” King says.

According to the LA County Sheriff’s Department, a man is in custody in connection with the stabbing.

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