Los Angeles police fatally shot a suspect who allegedly stabbed a 9-year-old boy in a local Target, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said.
The young child entered the store with his mother around 6:40 p.m. when a 40-year-old man “confronted” the boy and said “he was going to stab and kill him,” LAPD Chief Michael Moore said. The child attempted to flee, but the suspect stabbed him in the back toward the left shoulder. The child fell to the ground and suffered from a significant laceration to the left shoulder.
The suspect ran down the aisle and stabbed a 25-year-old woman “brutally in the chest,” Moore said. Two “Good Samaritans” who witnessed the attacks immediately approached the two victims to assist them.
He made his way to the front of the store where an armed security officer, employed by Target, attempted to “deescalate” the situation, Moore said. As the suspect charged at the victim, the officer fatally shot him in the stomach with his pistol and was taken into custody. He was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
Police found that the suspect carried a 9-to-10 inch butcher-style knife that he stole from the store, Moore added.
Moore said LAPD were in the store’s complex responding to another call when the incident occurred, allowing them to take the suspect into custody quickly and aid him and the two victims. Another victim suffered bruising after being trampled on in a stampede as people rushed to exit the store. (RELATED: Woman And Dog Stabbed In Samurai Sword Attack)
The boy and the 25-year-old woman were both in critical but stable condition as of Tuesday, CNN reported.
“The fact that you have an unprovoked attack on a child strikes all of us,” Moore said. “This isn’t something that’s acceptable in Los Angeles and by no means is anywhere near the norm.”
Violent crime in Los Angeles rose 10.3% in the last two years, and spiked 2.8% since 2021, LAPD statistics reported. The city has witnessed 27,284 total violent crime incidents as of November 12, 2022.