A terrifying scene unfolded inside a Target store in Simi Valley, California Wednesday evening when a violent criminal who had been released from jail just two days earlier randomly began choking a woman in the checkout line.

The horrifying assault left shoppers in shock and raised serious questions yet again about California’s revolving door justice system that keeps failing law-abiding citizens and letting violent offenders roam free.

Authorities identified the attacker as 34-year-old Rejean Tabor, a local man who entered the Target on Tierra Rejada Road shortly after 6 p.m.

According to police reports, Tabor targeted a completely random woman with no prior connection, grabbing her by the neck and choking her until she nearly lost consciousness.

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Witnesses said it was a split-second ambush that could have easily turned deadly had others not stepped in to intervene.

Video recorded by a teenager on his cellphone shows chaos erupting as several customers and store employees tried to pull Tabor off the victim.

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One woman who rushed to help can be seen being thrown to the ground by the attacker as she screamed for help.

“He was choking her, she was almost dead, I don’t know that guy!” the woman shouted while attempting to stop him.

Two male shoppers jumped into the melee next. Among them was Andy Garbe, who had been shopping with his family when the violence broke out.

“We ran over to the actual incident and just see one lady on the guy’s back and he was choking out the other lady,” Garbe told reporters later.

His 15-year-old son Grant started filming while trying to protect his 4-year-old sister from the chaos unfolding just feet away.

Garbe recalled watching Tabor’s wild, erratic behavior. “He looked homeless and had the most bloodshot demon eyes I’d ever seen. He was definitely on something,” he said.

The description echoes what countless Californians report seeing daily in their once-safe suburban stores as drug abuse and lawlessness spiral out of control.

As shoppers and staff fought frantically to subdue Tabor, Target managers quickly triggered an emergency evacuation plan to clear the building.

Witnesses said people dropped carts and ran toward the exits as merchandise went flying through the aisles.

Meanwhile, Tabor continued raging through the store, reportedly shoving women and throwing items from the grocery section.

Even after being separated from his first victim, Tabor’s rampage was not over.

Following the heroic efforts of the Samaritan who stopped the initial choking, the suspect wandered to another part of the store where he bizarrely began attacking a 16-year-old boy.

Garbe and others continued to trail him, trying to contain the situation until police arrived.

Later reports confirmed Tabor had been released from jail just two days earlier.

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The information infuriated many local residents who feel their community has become less safe under California’s lenient release policies.

With prosecutors and judges more focused on “equity” than accountability, offenders like Tabor seem to rotate in and out of custody with almost no deterrent in place.

The incident highlights a growing pattern that has become all too common in the state.

Law enforcement officers make the arrests, only for the criminal justice system to turn around and dump offenders back onto the streets in record time.

In cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, countless repeat offenders commit violent crimes within days of being freed.

Sadly, Simi Valley just became the latest community to witness the consequences.

Police say investigations are ongoing as they gather evidence and interview witnesses.

The woman who was strangled received medical attention and is expected to recover thanks to the quick action of citizens who refused to stand by while a violent maniac attacked an innocent person.

Still, the emotional scars and fear from this ordeal will linger for those involved.

California continues to embrace policies that prioritize criminals over victims.

Progressive prosecutors claim they are reducing “mass incarceration” by emptying jails, but at what cost?

Each new crime committed by a repeat offender tells the real story of reform gone drastically wrong.

Everyday Americans are paying the price for a broken ideology that values tolerance for crime over public safety.

Even the national media has shown little interest in covering attacks like this, preferring to ignore crimes that do not fit their political narrative.

When a violent offender released thanks to soft-on-crime policies assaults an innocent woman inside a suburban Target, it should be headline news everywhere.

Instead, it barely gets a mention beyond local outlets and independent platforms willing to tell uncomfortable truths.

Simi Valley police have not yet explained how Tabor was free so soon after his last arrest, but locals are demanding accountability.

For many, this was not just a terrifying event but a vivid symbol of California’s decline under progressive governance that has turned once peaceful communities into danger zones.

Everyday citizens should never have to worry about being choked by a criminal while buying groceries.

Until state leaders stop protecting offenders and start protecting citizens, scenes like this will only become more common.

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