The suspect was a stranger who approached the diner without warning, police said.

DECATUR, Ga. — A woman eating lunch at a First Watch restaurant in DeKalb County was stabbed in the back by a stranger during the midday rush, police said, leaving her hospitalized and a 22-year-old man jailed on an aggravated assault charge.

The attack brought police to the restaurant in the 2500 block of Blackmon Drive about 12:40 p.m. Tuesday, May 19. Authorities said the woman was seated and eating when Walter Scrutchings Jr. approached her from behind and stabbed her once. The woman survived and was taken to a local hospital with injuries police said were not believed to be life-threatening.

DeKalb County police said the woman did not know Scrutchings before the attack. That detail has shaped the early investigation, which has not produced a public motive. The restaurant sits in a busy Decatur area northeast of Atlanta, where daytime foot traffic, nearby businesses and lunch-hour customers are part of the normal weekday scene. Officers arrested Scrutchings after responding to the call, and he was booked into the DeKalb County Jail.

The victim’s name has not been released. Police said she was able to leave the restaurant after she was wounded and make her way to a neighboring business, where she called for help. That movement became one of the first clear pieces of the timeline released by investigators. The woman’s path from the dining area to another business also gave officers a second location to review as they gathered statements and checked what people nearby saw during and after the stabbing.

An arrest warrant described Scrutchings as having been at the restaurant with his mother before the stabbing. The warrant said he took a butter knife from his table and stabbed the woman, who was seated at a different table. Scrutchings’ mother told police that he suffers from a mental health disorder, according to the warrant. Police have not publicly said whether that statement will affect the criminal case, and no finding about his mental state has been made in court.

The charge filed against Scrutchings is aggravated assault. In Georgia, that type of charge can apply when authorities allege an assault involved a deadly weapon or an object used in a way likely to cause serious harm. Police have released few details about the knife beyond the warrant’s description. They have not said whether the utensil was recovered at the scene, whether surveillance video captured the attack or whether Scrutchings spoke to investigators after his arrest.

Witness accounts helped move the case from a reported stabbing to an arrest. One person who was at the restaurant told a local television station that the attack happened while she and a coworker were inside on a lunch break from a nearby health care office. The witness said a person walked up behind the woman and stabbed her. Police later confirmed the woman’s account of a sudden attack inside the First Watch location. The case has drawn attention because of where and when it happened. First Watch is known as a daytime restaurant serving breakfast, brunch and lunch. The stabbing happened around lunchtime, not late at night, and in a commercial area that residents often describe as walkable. Police have not reported any dispute, robbery attempt or earlier contact between the woman and Scrutchings before the moment he allegedly approached her table.

People near the restaurant described the attack as jarring. Topher Payne, a customer who said he eats at the restaurant, called the stabbing “shocking.” Local resident Charlie Cote said Decatur has long felt safe to him. “I’ve lived here most of my life and I kind of take for granted that it’s a safe, pedestrian-friendly area,” Cote said. Their comments reflected the way a brief act of violence disturbed a familiar lunch spot.

Police said Scrutchings is from Lithonia. Public booking information listed him as booked on May 19 on an aggravated assault charge. As of the first reports after the arrest, no future court date had been publicly listed. The victim was expected to recover, but officials have not released her age, hometown or condition beyond saying the injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

The investigation remains open. Detectives have not announced a motive, have not said whether additional charges are possible and have not released more details about the minutes before the stabbing. The next public milestone is expected through court records or a police update tied to the aggravated assault case.

Author note: Last updated June 19, 2026.