Man accused of chasing people with knife, stabbing bystander at Macon apartments

A man was arrested Monday after he reportedly chased people with a knife and stabbed someone in downtown Macon, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said.

Anthony Bernard Perkins, a 58-year-old Macon man, was reportedly “chasing civilians,” with a knife in front of Dempsey Apartments at 523 Cherry Street, which is a home for low income and elderly people, the sheriff’s office said.

A person reported the incident to 911 around 12:30 p.m. on Cherry Street, deputies said in a news release.

Witnesses said Perkins was “causing a disturbance in the area with multiple people,” argued with a person, and then stabbed an bystander nearby, deputies said.

Perkins then chased the person he was arguing with onto Cherry Street, according to the sheriff’s office.

A chief state court investigator arrived and detained Perkins on Cherry Street before deputies arrived at the scene, the sheriff’s office said.

Perkins was charged with battery and aggravated assault, the sheriff’s office said.

He was taken to the Bibb County Jail where he was held without bond, deputies said.

The victim was in stable condition, and not severely injured, according to Shurice Smith, his homecare worker.

Caretaker on what happened

The victim is a resident at Dempsey Apartments. He was sitting in a wheelchair at his regular hangout spot – on the sidewalk in front of the building – when he was hurt, according to Smith.

Smith, 57, said the victim was cut twice in the head.

She assists the man daily, and tended to gashes on his head Tuesday afternoon, as he sat in the same spot where the incident happened a day prior.

“(Perkins) hit him right above his eyebrow and on top of his head,” Smith said.

She didn’t witness the incident, but explained the victim’s recounting of what happened.

Perkins was reportedly talking to himself and others while walking toward a group of people hanging out with the victim, according to Smith.

The victim was sitting with a group of people who “didn’t see the knife until (Perkins) turned around and just went to swing,” Smith said.

Mental health concern

Smith urged Macon-Bibb County and Georgia to improve outreach for people with mental health issues, rather than merely incarcerating them without support.

“Our state needs to push the issue on this,” Smith said. “What’s going on with these people that are walking around here out of their minds, know where to go, and all of a sudden they just lose it? ... There’s a gap.”

This story was originally published July 29, 2025 at 12:04 PM.