A man in an “altered mental state” stabbed multiple people in Washington D.C. Thursday afternoon, police said.
The incident occurred just after 3:20 p.m. near the U.S. National Arboretum, when the man began stabbing himself and a female acquaintance while walking in the street.
The suspect then turned the weapon on others, injuring four women and two men, Police Chief Pamela Smith said. The victims were hospitalized and are in stable condition.
Smith said the victims included a grandmother and her two granddaughters who were attacked while “getting in a car, primarily minding their own business.”
Two other victims were Good Samaritans who tried to stop the assailant.
“Even though we’re grateful for their intervention, we would ask that individuals who see incidents such as this to not intervene because these two individuals, although good Samaritans, were also stabbed as part of this assault,” Smith said.
Investigators believe the suspect was under the influence of an unspecified drug when he went on his stabbing spree.
“This incident highlights the need for assistance of substance abuse issues in our communities,” the police chief added.
He was arrested and taken to a hospital to undergo surgery. A bloody knife was found “a few feet away” from the suspect.
