A group of men gambling inside a common area at Potomac Mills shopping center got into an argument Thursday night that ended with one of them stabbing two others in the upper body before running off, according to police. Officers were initially called around 7:11 p.m. and responded just before 8 p.m., and the suspect remains at large.
Prince William County Police reported that the fight broke out among a group of men who had been gambling together inside the mall, located at 2700 Potomac Mills Circle, according to Woodbridge Patch. DC News Now reported that officers were initially called around 7:11 p.m., while Woodbridge Patch reported that they responded just before 8 p.m., and police said the victims and the suspect knew each other.
The two victims, a 49-year-old man and a 32-year-old man, were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Both have since become uncooperative with investigators, the Patch report notes, complicating efforts to piece together exactly what happened. Police described the man they are searching for as Black, in his 40s, with a thin to medium build, wearing a white shirt and carrying both a dark cross-body bag and a brown shopping bag.
Police Say No Ongoing Threat, But Presence Will Grow
Police Say No Ongoing Threat Police said the stabbing does not pose a threat to the public, according to a police statement relayed by DC News Now. With both victims uncooperative, detectives are likely to lean heavily on mall surveillance footage and community tips to track down the suspect.
Virginia Code § 18.2-51 makes stabbing or cutting another person with intent to maim, disfigure, disable, or kill a Class 3 felony, according to Medvin Law. That charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $100,000. If permanent and significant physical impairment were established, prosecutors could instead pursue aggravated malicious wounding under Code § 18.2-51.2, a Class 2 felony punishable by 20 years to life in prison, per Virginia law.
A Mall With a Troubled Recent History
Thursday's stabbing followed a fatal shooting at Potomac Mills earlier this year involving a 34-year-old Alexandria man who was killed inside a vehicle parked outside the shopping center during what was described as a meeting, leading to the arrest of two men on murder and accessory charges, as reported by FOX 5 DC. The mall has also been associated with a reported incident in which people were approached outside a clothing store, as well as other reported activity.
Violence inside the mall isn't new, either. Back in March 2017, a 44-year-old loss-prevention security guard was fatally stabbed at Potomac Mills after confronting a suspected shoplifter inside the center's Burlington Coat Factory store, according to Police1. Potomac Mills, owned and operated by Simon Property Group, opened in September 1985 as the nation's prototype “Mills” outlet mall.
Countywide Crime Trends Cut Against the Headlines
The incident lands against a backdrop of falling crime numbers across Prince William County. The county recorded a 10.5% decrease in overall crime and a nearly 19% reduction in violent crime in 2025 compared to the prior year, alongside a 64% drop in homicides to just eight cases countywide, according to Potomac Local News.
Still, the gap between improving countywide statistics and violence at Virginia's largest outlet mall is likely to keep pressure on both police and Simon Property Group to reassure shoppers and workers. For now, the search continues for the man in the white shirt who walked away from Potomac Mills on Thursday night, leaving two acquaintances behind with stab wounds and no answers for investigators.
