A Seattle man accused of stabbing at least five people will be held on $2 million bail

SEATTLE — A 37-year-old man who police say stabbed five people in broad daylight in Seattle on Friday and possibly four others the day before made his first court appearance Saturday, where a judge ordered him held on bail. $2 million.

“People who live in and travel to the Chinatown-International District deserve to feel safe,” King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion said after the judge found probable cause to arrest him on five counts of first-degree assault.

In setting the high bail amount, the judge noted that a warrant had been issued for the man’s arrest. He also has nine felony convictions in Washington state, including four auto thefts, possession of stolen property, theft and attempted burglary, according to the probable cause report.

The case remains under investigation and has not yet been referred to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for a charging decision, spokesman Casey McNerthney said Saturday. They expect to receive the case on Thursday, he said.

Messages left to the King County Department of Public Defense seeking comment were not immediately returned Saturday afternoon.

Four of the five victims were taken to Harborview Medical Center on Friday. One man who was in critical condition was upgraded to serious, while two others are in serious condition in intensive care, hospital spokesperson Susan Gregg said Saturday. Another male patient was in satisfactory condition, she said.

Police said they found two knives smeared with what appeared to be blood in the parking lot where the man was arrested. A third knife lodged in the victim’s back as he was taken to the hospital, court records said.

Seattle police said they believe the man was also involved in at least four other stabbings in the same area on Thursday. He matched the suspect’s descriptions and the attacks were also random, like Friday’s assaults. Police continue to investigate the case and more charges could be forthcoming, they said.

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.

Around 2 p.m. Friday, police received 911 reports that four people had been stabbed in Chinatown. Another victim was found about a block away, the probable cause statement said.

One witness told police he saw the suspect walk up behind a man and stab him in the back. The man was hospitalized with four stab wounds. The witness said he followed the suspect as he calmly walked down the street and then stabbed three people as they stood on a corner.

Video showed the suspect also stabbed another man before striking the group of three, police said. The video shows the suspect walking behind a person and stabbing him in the back. He fell to the ground with the knife still in his back, police said.

Police arrived and used witness statements to arrest the man. He was wearing a black sweatshirt with “Fear of God State” written on the chest, police said. Police said he had blood on his hands and shoes.

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