In his 33 years as a policeman, Deputy Chief Michael Babula has never encountered a situation like that Sunday when a man walked into the Rite Aid at 1201 Warwick Ave. and randomly attacked an 18-year-old employee who had been stocking shelves with a butcher knife he bought earlier that day.

“These are very unusual circumstances,” Babula said Wednesday.

Babula credits the quick action of another employee, 19-year-old Connor Devine, and a 51-year-old customer, Stanley Bastein of Warwick, who restrained the attacker, with saving Alyssa Garcia’s life.

“She would have probably died,” he said.

The alleged attacker, Jacob Gallant, 41, of 457 Adamsville Road, Westport, Mass., appeared in Kent County Court Wednesday morning. He was held on $100,000 bail and remanded to the Adult Correctional Institutions. No plea was entered Wednesday and a bail review hearing is set for April 5.

A police officer was first at the scene Sunday and, according to Babula, after handcuffing the suspect, immediately tended to Garcia who was lying in a pool of blood. Babula said the officer applied pressure to prevent the further loss of blood pending arrival of rescue personnel.

Babula said the suspect told police his actions were entirely random and “he decided to stab the next person he saw.” Babula said at the time police apprehended Gallant he “appeared to be unaffected by drugs or alcohol.”

Garcia remains at Rhode Island Hospital, where she continues to recover from her injuries, according to police.

East Bay Newspapers reported Westport Police became involved at 10 a.m. Saturday when a family member – an aunt – called to say that the family was worried because they hadn’t spoken to Gallant since Friday at around 7 a.m.

The aunt said that he was “agitated and crabby” in that conversation and also said it was uncharacteristic of him not to return to his home that evening.

As is standard procedure, Westport Police then entered Gallant’s name into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center database.

Other than that agitated call, Westport detective Jeff Majewski told East Bay Newspapers that the family reported nothing especially unusual, although it was learned Gallant may have been concerned about possibly having to move out of the family home. He had no police record.

Police said that on Thursday he visited Fall River Hyundai as a customer and struck up a “perfectly normal” conversation with another customer, a young woman. She later said that he had mentioned that he might have to move out of the house where he lived and relocate to Florida.

That evening he met his aunt and two cousins for dinner at the Roasted Pig restaurant in New Bedford and, by their accounts, acted as usual.

Det. Majewski said police learned that Gallant, whom they believe is unmarried, lived in the house owned by his grandmother before she died fairly recently. There may have been bank-related issues that led him to think he would soon have to move elsewhere.

Westport Police also learned that Gallant never showed up at work Friday.

Babula confirmed reports that Gallant drove as far south as Maryland before turning around and heading north. As far as Warwick Police know, Gallant probably had driven through Warwick at some point, but his decision to stop at Rite Aid on Warwick Avenue was apparently as random as his alleged attack.