Released Again—Checkout Turns Into Chokehold

A violent repeat offender walked into a California Target, allegedly choked a stranger nearly to death, and raised hard questions about why he was back on the streets at all.

Story Snapshot

A 34-year-old man with several past arrests allegedly randomly choked a woman at a Simi Valley Target.
Cellphone video shows shoppers fighting him off as he attacks more people and the store is evacuated.
Police say he had been released from custody just two days earlier after prior assault and indecent exposure charges.
The case highlights revolving-door justice, public safety fears, and the failure to protect law-abiding families.

Repeat Offender Walks Free, Then Allegedly Attacks Shoppers

On the evening of June 17, 2026, 34-year-old Simi Valley resident Rejean Tabor walked into the Target store on Tierra Rejada Road and, according to police and witnesses, went straight for a woman in the checkout line and began choking her.^[2] Cellphone video and social media posts show a man with his arm around a woman’s neck as bystanders scream and rush toward them.^[1]^[3] Reports say Target staff quickly started an emergency evacuation as chaos spread through the store.^[2]

Local coverage and posts from the scene state that Tabor had been arrested multiple times in the last two years and was released from custody just two days before this incident.^[1]^[3] Earlier charges reportedly included indecent exposure and assaulting a police officer, yet he was back in a busy retail store at dinnertime, among families and kids.^[3] For many law-abiding residents, that detail stings more than anything on the video: the system knew his record, and he still walked free.

Violent Choking Caught On Video As Shoppers Step In

Cellphone clips shared online show the choking happening in the checkout area as panicked voices call for help and tell the man to get on the ground.^[1]^[3] A woman jumps on the attacker’s back, striking him and trying to pry him off the victim, while others grab at his arms.^[1] At least two women are pushed aside as they try to help, and two men are seen wrestling the suspect away in a struggle that spills further into the store.^[1]

Witness accounts say the first victim was “almost choked to death,” and that once bystanders pulled the man off her, he rushed toward another area of the store and went after a teenage boy near the produce.^[1]^[2] A local father and his son have described minor injuries as they joined others to stop the violence.^[5] Target employees moved shoppers toward the exits as products flew and the situation grew more dangerous.^[1]^[2] Police officers arrived soon after, found Tabor still inside, and arrested him without further incident.^[2]

Charges, Prior Arrests, And A Failing Justice System

Local reports and booking details say Tabor now faces serious counts, including attempted murder, assault, battery, burglary, and causing suffering to a minor connected to the chaos inside the store.^[4]^[5] Separate reporting and documents state he has been arrested at least six times in the last two years on various charges, including the March case for indecent exposure and assaulting an officer.^[1]^[3]^[13] Yet he was back among shoppers less than 48 hours after his latest release, which raises obvious questions about bail, sentencing, and probation choices.

A man is in custody following a violent and random attack inside a Target store in Simi Valley that was caught on video.

Officers responded after a caller reported that a man had entered the store and immediately began choking a woman at a checkout counter.… pic.twitter.com/2eTEMeroGp

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) June 19, 2026

Media outlets have mostly framed this as a “random” attack by a man who simply chose a stranger and began choking her.^[2]^[4] Police say there was no prior relationship between the suspect and the victim, and no clear motive has been made public.^[2] Some witnesses describe the suspect as possibly homeless or under the influence, but as of now there is no toxicology report or psychological evaluation released to the public to confirm that.^[3] What is clear is that the system had multiple chances to keep a repeat offender away from families, and it did not.

Public Safety, Revolving-Door Justice, And What Comes Next

This attack struck a nerve because it mirrors what many families already feel: they do everything right, yet government choices leave them exposed in the most ordinary places, from grocery stores to big-box retailers. Viral videos from this Target show shoppers, not the state, stepping in first to protect a stranger and her child.^[1]^[5] That image cuts against years of soft-on-crime policies that treated repeat offenders as victims of the system instead of threats to the public.

Under the current federal administration, there is strong pressure to push back on these trends, support local law enforcement, and encourage prosecutors and judges to take repeat violent behavior seriously. But local policies and state laws in places like California still often tilt toward early release, low bail, and lenient supervision. Until those priorities change, ordinary Americans will keep asking the same question after each viral attack: why was this person out at all, and who is really looking out for our families, our communities, and our most basic right to feel safe in public?