A Philadelphia man who stabbed a security guard to death and injured another guard after trying to steal merchandise from a Macy's store in Center City last year has pleaded guilty this week to murder and other related charges.
In Dec. 2023, Tyrone Tunnell, 31, tried to steal hats from a Macy's store on 13th and Market streets but was caught by 27-year-old security guard Eric Harrison and a second guard.
After an altercation with the guards -- who were employed by Macy's and were unarmed -- , Tunnell left the store, investigators said. Tunnell then returned to the store about 15 minutes later, according to police.
Witnesses said Tunnell was looking for Harrison and the other guard and was yelling threats. He then found Harrison, pulled out a switchblade and stabbed him in the neck, officials said. The second security guard tried to intervene and was stabbed in the face and arm, according to investigators.
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Investigators said Tunnell took the shoe of one of the guards, put it on and then fled the scene.
Harrison was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at 11:19 a.m. that day. The other guard was also taken to the hospital and was listed in critical but stable condition.
Tunnell hopped on a Market-Frankford Line train at the 13th Street Station, tossing the knife on the tracks in the process, police said. SEPTA cameras captured Tunnell as he fled and he was arrested shortly after at the Somerset Station on Kensington Avenue in the city’s Kensington neighborhood, according to investigators.
Tunnell told police he returned to the Macy's because he didn't like how the security guards initially handled him, but he had denied having a knife at the time, law enforcement sources said.
Investigators said one knife was recovered inside the Macy's, while a second knife was recovered on the subway tracks.
According to court documents on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024 Tunnell pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, simple assault, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, tampering with evidence, and other related charges.
Sentencing for Tunnell is scheduled for Feb. 13 2025, according to court documents.
Tunnell has an extensive criminal record with numerous convictions and arrests in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Delaware and Bucks counties since 2013, according to court records. His prior charges and convictions range from retail theft to robbery to drug offenses.
Back in January of this year the parents of Eric Harrison, as well as their attorneys Eric Zajac and Evan Padilla, revealed details of their lawsuit against multiple defendants, including Macy's, the owners of the Center City building where the store is located, and the property manager of the store.
The family did not reveal an exact monetary amount they're seeking in the lawsuit.
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