Cops: T-Mobile employee stabs customer

This guy was obviously not a smart phone salesman.

A customer who went in to an Upper Darby T-Mobile store yesterday to complain about his bill left with a stab wound to his stomach after he got his circuits crossed with an employee in need of some serious customer service training.

Authorities had no trouble identifying the employee - 21-year-old Darnell Schoolfield - because the 59-year-old victim came in to the police department with Schoolfield's name tag in his hand.

According to Upper Darby police Superintendent Michael Chitwood, the victim, who is from Philadelphia, went to the T-Mobile store on South State Road near Lansdowne Avenue around 1:15 p.m. to complain about being double billed.

What started out as a conversation between the customer and Schoolfield devolved into a verbal argument and then a physical confrontation, police said. During the fight, which began in the store and continued out on to the sidewalk, the customer was able to rip Schoolfield's name tag off of his shirt.

The victim was then able to get away and drove himself to the Upper Darby police station to file an assault complaint.

"During the course of filing the complaint he realizes he's bleeding profusely from the left side of the stomach," Chitwood said. "He'd thought he was just punched."

The victim was transported to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he had to undergo surgery. He was admitted in critical condition but has since been upgraded to serious condition, Chitwood said.

It's unknown what Schoolfield used to allegedly stab the victim or how the interaction went so awry.

Schoolfield, of Harmer Street near 55th in Philadelphia, remains on the run. Police have issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault and they've also been tracking his cell phone use, Chitwood said.

In a written statement, a corporate T-Mobile spokesman wrote that the company was "shocked and saddened" to hear about the incident.

"We take the safety of our customers and employees very seriously, and are working with local law enforcement to assist in their investigation so we cannot disclose further details about the incident at this time. Our thoughts are with our customer and his family," the statement read.

Despite being asked, the spokesman did not comment on whether or not the customer will still be responsible for paying the bill in question.