Horry County man accused of attacking victim with machete

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) - A man was arrested after allegedly assaulting someone with a machete in the Longs area.

Records and documents obtained by WMBF News state Zaire Stevenson was arrested and charged with attempted murder following an incident Monday evening.

According to a police report, officers from the Horry County Police Department found a victim with blood on their clothes and shoes after responding to the area of Keel Circle and Pint Circle.

The victim reportedly had a deep laceration on their hand with a towel wrapped around it. An officer then began to help the victim while calling EMS. The victim told police that Stevenson had attacked them with a machete and was able to get their hands up and step away so he wouldn’t cut their head.

Police later learned the incident stemmed from a verbal argument involving the victim and a witness. Another witness called Stevenson to come to the house and he showed up with the machete in hand.

The first witness told police the victim put their hands on her neck and choked her, but there were no signs of injury. She then saw Stevenson arrive and went into the house, watching him get into what was described as a “tussle” with the victim. She also claimed to not see the machete or know how the victim got hurt.

The witness who called Stevenson to the home also claimed to not see the fight but heard it.

Stevenson was taken into custody after police found his truck at a nearby Dollar General less than an hour later.

He told police that the victim and the first witness “do this all the time” and he wasn’t going to let the victim hurt the witness. He also claimed to not swing the machete at the victim. When police asked Stevenson how the victim got cut, he claimed to not know while being spotted with blood on his sweatshirt.

Officers searched the truck for the machete but were unable to find it. Stevenson told police that he left the knife at home.

Online records show Stevenson was booked into the J. Reuben Long Detention Center after his arrest but was released to home detention on a $40,000 bond.

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