Seattle stabbing: At least nine people were stabbed in Seattle in two days; suspect in custody: police

SEATTLE — A suspect was taken into custody Friday after at least nine people were stabbed in Seattle over a 38-hour period in apparently random attacks, police said.

The latest stabbing, in which five people were attacked Friday, occurred in the 1200 block of South Jackson Street, Seattle police said.

The suspect, whose name has not been released, is believed to be connected to several recent stabbing incidents, Seattle Police Department Deputy Chief Eric Barden told reporters at a news conference.

Four of the five victims attacked Friday were transported to a local hospital under various circumstances, including one who still had a knife, Barden said. A fifth victim was treated and released at the scene, police said.

A man matching witnesses’ description was located nearby and arrested without incident, Barden said. A weapon was also found on the suspect, he said.

“This is a horrific tragedy, an event with a large number of victims,” Barden said.

In addition to the five victims in this incident, five other people may have been stabbed in the area over a period of about 38 hours, according to Seattle police.

The suspect is believed to be connected to four of those stabbings, while one remains under investigation, police said.

The first incident occurred early Thursday, in which a 52-year-old woman was stabbed eight times, police said.

Three other stabbing incidents involving male victims occurred Thursday, police said. Two of the victims were stabbed multiple times. The other victim told police the attacker tried to stab him in the chest, but he managed to block the attack, although he suffered a cut on his hand, police said. According to police, the victim’s cell phone was also stolen.

Another stabbing occurred early Friday, with one victim bleeding “profoundly from the neck” and transported to a local hospital in serious condition, police said.

Barden said that aside from the robbery incident, the stabbings appeared to be “just random attacks.”

“This incident apparently involved one person committing random attacks over a 38-hour period. That’s an anomaly. That’s not the norm at all,” Barden said. “Now that we have a suspect in custody, I think we’re back to normal.”