Man stabbed to death intervening in fight by angry customer at Berwyn grocery store

A man upset that a 14-year-old girl cut in line at a Berwyn grocery store punched the girl and cashier before fatally stabbing a good Samaritan who intervened Friday morning.

The customer then ran from Valle’s Produce at 6323 W. Cermak Rd. and stabbed another person who tried to stop him, according to Berwyn Police Chief Michael Cimaglia. Officers found and arrested the man, covered in blood, in a nearby backyard, he said.

The incident unfolded around 10:15 a.m. when the customer angrily accused the girl of cutting in line to buy a bottle of water, Cimaglia said. But the girl was merely asking the cashier, her mother, how much the water cost, he said.

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The irate customer began swearing and then punched the girl in her face, Cimaglia said. The girl’s mother intervened and was also punched in the face by the customer.

As he tried to leave the store, a man stepped in to stop him, Cimaglia said. The attacker, a man in his 30s, took out a knife and allegedly stabbed the other man several times. The victim was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead an hour later, Cimaglia said. The Cook County medical examiner’s office identified him as 32-year-old Humberto Guzman of Justice.

Meanwhile, the attacker ran from the store and down an alley, where a second good Samaritan confronted him and was stabbed in the torso, Cimaglia said. That person was treated at a hospital and was expected to be released later Friday.

Officers found the suspect in a backyard in the 2300 block of Cuyler Avenue and arrested him, Cimaglia said. Police announced murder charges Saturday.

The child was treated at a hospital for her injuries, he said.