Police follow blood trail across SC 170 after apparent stabbing at Okatie restaurant
Police were still searching for a suspect after a stabbing victim was found passed out in front of an Okatie convenience store early Sunday morning, leaving a trail of blood from a restaurant across the highway.
Around 2:45 a.m. Sunday, about a half-dozen deputies from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Parkers Kitchen on Barrel Landing Road, just north of the interchange of U.S. 278 and S.C. 170. A caller reported that a man was bleeding and “laying at the doors” of the convenience store, according to an incident report.
The man appeared to be passed out and his left arm was “completely covered” in blood, according to the report. Before taking him to the hospital, EMS crews confirmed the man appeared to have been stabbed “multiple times” across his arm and the rest of his body.
Starting in front of the Parkers Kitchen, one deputy followed a “blood droplet trail” that ran through the gas station parking lot, across S.C. 170 and to the Las Palmas Bar and Grill.
Sheriff’s office spokesperson Staff Sgt. Robert Herlong said the stabbing likely took place at the restaurant, although he would not say if it happened inside or outside. There had been no arrests related to the case as of Thursday.
The stabbing victim was released from the hospital the same day as the incident, Herlong said. Police were unsure of the weapon used in the attack.
Las Palmas was listed as “permanently closed” on Google Maps as of Thursday afternoon. Calls made to two numbers associated with the restaurant did not go through.
This story was originally published February 13, 2025 at 12:58 PM.
