(CNN) A 20-year-old man walked into a plasma center in Virginia and asked to use a restroom. Then he went on a stabbing rampage with a weapon similar to a machete, wounding four people, police said.

Jairque L. Shannon has been identified as the suspect in the Virginia plasma center stabbing.

The suspect -- identified by police Friday as Jairque L. Shannon -- hid the weapon as he entered the Octapharma Plasma center in Petersburg on Thursday, according to police Capt. Emanuel Chambliss.

He described the weapon as similar to a machete, saying police are not sure what it is.

Shannon faces three counts of malicious wounding and one count of animal cruelty, Petersburg police said Friday

It was unclear how the animal cruelty charge is connected. Asked to clarify, a police spokesman indicated Friday that more information would be released next week.

Read More