Homeless Man Randomly Stabs 2 People in Downtown Los Angeles Target, Security Guard Ends Bloody Rampage
Two people have been hospitalized after a homeless man carried out a stabbing spree in a Los Angeles Target store.
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore described the attack, which occurred Tuesday evening, as unprovoked, according to KTLA-TV.
A suspect “dressed in homeless attire” confronted a 9-year-old boy in the Target after entering the business.
“[He] confronted him and told the young boy he was going to stab him and kill him,” Moore said of the suspect’s actions, according to The Blaze.
The homeless man had previously taken knives from a kitchenware section of the store.
A 25-year-old woman was also attacked in the stabbing spree.
An armed security guard ultimately neutralized the suspect, shooting him twice in the stomach.
A Target employee who witnessed the shooting indicated that the suspect had lunged at the armed security guards with a knife before he was fatally shot, according to The Blaze.
One witness is describing the violent act as totally random.
“Out of nowhere, we heard people screaming,” Kevin Zaragoza said, according to the Blaze.
“We rushed to the front. Right there by the exit we see a girl on the floor, blood all over her.”
The area was host to a large police presence after the stabbing spree. The identity of the deceased suspect hasn’t been confirmed as of Wednesday morning.
The child victim is reportedly in stable condition, but was taken to an area hospital. The female victim was in surgery as of Tuesday night, and is considered to be in serious condition.
Los Angeles has one of the most serious homelessness problems in the United States.
The problem has only worsened, even as local and state authorities funnel more money into homelessness prevention. The city’s official homeless count increased from 39,135 in 2011 to 66,436 in 2020.
The problem correlates with both petty and violent crime.
California residents have reconsidered their Second Amendment rights amid a crime epidemic that’s affected even Los Angeles’ wealthiest neighborhoods.
Police Chief Moore called for “outreach, engagement, [and] services” for the homeless after the stabbing spree, according to The Blaze.
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