Security officer foils knife-wielding shoplifting suspect

Syed Ali, the loss prevention manager at the Conway Store on New Bern Avenue, said he was cut in the face in the toy aisle during a confrontation with a man he believed was trying to steal a $29.95 coat.

The man then ran from the store, and Ali chased him for about a half-mile, he said. His injury wasn't serious, and he returned to work immediately following the incident.

Stanley Lawrence Dunn, 45, of 912 Weston St. in Raleigh, was charged with one count each of armed robbery, assault inflicting serious injury and carrying a concealed weapon.

The store's manager, Rosalina Rivera, said she sees about 40 to 50 cases of shoplifting a month during the holiday shopping rush. Last month, she said, there were about 25 cases.

This isn't the first time Ali has been hurt. He said he has been stabbed twice before and has even had a gun pulled on him.