Visitor stabbed at SC Welcome Center in Hardeeville by man posing as security guard

Evan McKenna
·1 min read

Hardeeville and Georgia police are searching for the perpetrator in an Easter Sunday mugging outside the I-95 South Carolina Welcome Center. The male suspect reportedly impersonated a security guard and stabbed a visitor as part of an attempted armed robbery.

The attack happened around 12:30 a.m. Sunday, when the suspect told the visitor he would need to “check him out” before he could enter the building, according to Hardeeville Chief of Police Sam Woodward. That’s when the man stabbed him, sending him to the hospital with non-fatal injuries.

Investigators believe the suspect may have crossed state lines after the stabbing, so the Hardeeville Police Department is working with authorities in Georgia in hopes of finding the man. Woodward would not answer questions about a description of the suspect, what kind of weapon was used or whether anything was stolen from the victim.

Woodward added that “a couple of witnesses” told officers they saw the early morning attack happen. Police will release more information after the suspect’s arrest, the chief said.

The welcome center is located in Hardeeville city limits about a half-mile south of I-95’s Exit 5.

The state-run welcome center is about five miles north of the Savannah River, which marks the border between South Carolina and Georgia. Police in both states are searching for the suspect in a stabbing that occurred at the rest stop early Sunday morning.
The state-run welcome center is about five miles north of the Savannah River, which marks the border between South Carolina and Georgia. Police in both states are searching for the suspect in a stabbing that occurred at the rest stop early Sunday morning.