Surveillance camera has captured the moment a 'career criminal' assaulted an off-duty police officer working a second job as a Walmart security guard.
James Cunningham, 23, has been charged over the horrific attack on Officer Eric Hansen, which took place in Spartanburg, South Carolina last Thursday.
Video shows Hansen monitoring the Walmart's busy self-service area before Cunningham appears on the scene and charges directly towards him.
The assailant then pushes the victim to the ground before punching him directly in the face multiple times.
A crowd of shoppers are seen standing stunned as the violent scene unfolds.
One customer then works with a Walmart employee to help wrestle Cunningham off of Hansen.
The attacker can then be seen sprinting from the scene.
Cunningham (center) can be seen charging directly towards Hansen, who was monitoring the self-service area
According to WSPA, Cunningham attempted to flee in a black car, registered to his mother. However, he crashed into another vehicle in the parking lot.
Cunningham then ran off on foot, before he was tracked down and arrested outside a nearby shopping center.
He was charged with attempted murder, third degree assault and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Police say they retrieved a knife on Cunningham's person, but did not say whether it had been used in the attack on Hansen.
Officer Hansen was taken to hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.
Cunningham wrestled Hansen to the ground in front of startled customers. He was armed with a knife at the time
During a bond hearing on Friday, urged 7th Circuit Solicitor Barry Barnette urged a judge not to release Cunningham on bail.
'I've been in this business a long time. I've never seen an attack like this,' he stated.
At the time of Thursday's attack, Cunningham was out on bail after being charged with assault after he reportedly punched a female co-worker while working at a McDonald's in 2018.
Court records show the case is still pending.
Meanwhile, in 2017, Cunningham was charged with attempted murder after stabbing his own brother in the neck. The charge was later dropped.
Records reveal he was most recently convicted in a separate assault and battery case last month.
The attack occurred at this Walmart in Spartanburg, South Carolina last Thursday
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