Man Bites Off Piece of Kroger Security Guard’s Thumb

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A Kroger on the South Side had to temporarily shut down Tuesday after a security guard was attacked… and part of his thumb was bitten off.

It happened just before noon at the Parsons Avenue location. According to police, a man got hostile as a security guard tried to remove him from the store. The two ended up on the ground, and that’s when the man reportedly bit the guard’s thumb, tearing off a portion of it.

First responders were able to recover the missing piece. The guard was taken to the hospital and is expected to be okay.

Court records show the suspect had several prior run-ins with the same guard. The victim had only been on the job about a month.

The suspect has been charged with felonious assault. He refused to answer questions or take a mugshot, according to police.

A crime scene was taped off inside and outside the store. Though the store initially closed during the investigation, employees say it eventually reopened.

Kroger has not commented publicly.

The incident comes after Kroger added security guards to several Columbus-area stores and began requiring receipt checks and bag restrictions at certain locations.