‘He is a danger’: Suspect in Coastal Grand mall attack appears in Myrtle Beach court
A 34-year-old man bought a knife at a Coastal Grand mall sporting goods store and then lay in wait for two victims. When he saw them in the food court, police say, he pounced setting off a fight that ended with gunshots and two people in the hospital.
The attack garnered headlines across Myrtle Beach and police released new details of the attack during a Wednesday bond hearing in Myrtle Beach Municipal Court for the suspect, Dionte Roddey White. Police charged him with two counts of attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in connection with the attack.
He faces up to 70 years in prison if convicted.
Late Wednesday, police announced a second person was arrested in connection to the case. That person’s name has not been released.
More than a dozen police officers and ambulances responded to the mall off U.S. 17 Bypass around 3:15 p.m. Tuesday for a reported shooting. Two people were hurt during a fight and received treatment, Cpl. Thomas Vest said.
Officers blocked off the entrance to the food court area of the mall with yellow tape. A second-crime scene was blocked off 100 yards away in the parking lot.
Destinee Rucker was walking out of the mall when she saw the victim covered in blood and the parking lot crime scene.
“My reaction was just like, ‘What in the world?’” Rucker said.
She said she first thought the victim was shot because of the amount of blood.
Authorities said the mall attack stemmed from an incident earlier in the week. The food court was crowded when White pounced. He fled the mall, and one of the victims chased him. The victim took out a gun and shot at White in the parking lot.
White left the mall area and was apprehended a short time later.
One of the victims had a stab wound to the shoulder and the other victim is in intensive care with life-threatening injuries, officials said.
White asked the court for a reasonable bond and noted he was a lifetime Conway resident who hasn’t been in trouble for more than a decade.
A mother of one of the victims asked for White to remain behind bars. She also said White was in a relationship with her daughter and alluded to domestic violence. The mother did not provide her name during the hearing and declined to speak after leaving the courtroom.
“I don’t feel that he should have bond. He is a danger to my daughter and to other people,” the mother said.
Once the mother and police spoke, White spoke to the court again, this time more agitated.
“They beat me up. They pistol whipped me,” White said.
He appeared in the courtroom via closed-circuit television, which is standard practice in Myrtle Beach municipal court. As White pleaded his case, he got within inches of the camera to show the judge a tooth he said was chipped when he was attacked.
White also said that he would stay away from the victim’s family if they wanted.
“I just want to go home,” he pleaded.
But, Judge Glenn Ohanesian found White to be a flight risk and a danger to a community. As the judge denied bond, White put his head in his hands and began to cry.
This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 2:40 PM.
