Police arrest a man after nine people were stabbed in Seattle in two days

SEATTLE — A man has been arrested in connection with a spate of random stabbings over two days in Seattle that left nine people injured — five of them on Friday afternoon, police said.

“This incident apparently involved one individual committing random attacks over a 38-hour period,” Deputy Chief Eric Barden said at the scene Friday.

The stabbings occurred Friday afternoon in an area of ​​about four blocks in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District.

Witnesses provided a description of the suspect and officers found him nearby and took him into custody, police said. A gun was found near the arrested person and a knife was stabbed at one of the victims, police said.

Four of the victims were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and one victim was treated and released at the scene. A Harborview spokesperson confirmed there were four victims in hospital and said they were all in critical condition.

Barden said police believe the person arrested in connection with Friday’s stabbings is the same person involved in at least four other stabbings that occurred early Thursday. He cited similar descriptions of suspects and the randomness of the attacks, but added that the investigation is ongoing.

Thursday’s stabbings in Chinatown began when a 52-year-old woman was found with multiple stab wounds, police said. On Thursday afternoon, a 32-year-old man was found having been stabbed multiple times and around 8 p.m. a 37-year-old man was stabbed several times in the back, police said.

Early Friday, police responding to an assault call found a 53-year-old man bleeding profusely from a neck injury. Police followed a blood trail to a nearby doorway and unsuccessfully used that as a starting point for police dogs to track down a suspect.

“I understand that everyone is still alive,” Barden said of the victims on Friday afternoon.

Police said the 10th stabbing on Thursday night involved a cellphone robbery in which someone forcibly opened a car door and tried to stab a 60-year-old man in the chest. The victim blocked the attack and suffered a cut to his hand, police said. It was not clear whether the random attacks were related, police said.