A mass stabbing incident in Washington, DC, left six people injured and an area near the US Capitol temporarily shut down.
The stabbing happened in a the Northeast neighborhood blocks away from Gallaudet University around 3.45pm on Thursday, according to the DC Metropolitan Police Department.
Cops were ‘on scene of numerous people stabbed’ near Meigs Place and Motello Avenue NE, the agency stated on X (formerly Twitter).
One suspect, a man, has been arrested.
The man was in an ‘altered mental state from an unknown substance’ and stabbed himself and was found ‘laying on the ground’, said police Chief Pamela Smith during an evening news conference.
‘Officers arrived on scene in less than a minute and located numerous people suffering from stab wounds,’ she said.
The man allegedly stabbed a female acquaintance who was with him, others on the block and two Good Samaritans who attempted to intervene.
Four women and two men were taken to nearby hospitals, including a grandma and her two granddaughters, Smith said.
All the victims are in stable condition and the suspect underwent surgery, after which he was taken into custody. His identity was not immediately disclosed.
‘Two Good Samaritans – and we are very grateful for them this afternoon – tried to intervene in the assault and were among those injured,’ Smith said.
‘I want to offer my thoughts to the victims, their families and those who witnessed today’s events. This incident highlights the need for assistance of substance abuse issues within communities.’
Investigators recovered a knife found feet away from the suspect that they believe was used in the stabbings. A photo of the knife on grass that police shared on X showed the black and silver handle and blade stained with blood.
‘We want to make sure that individuals that are suffering from any type of substance abuse or any altered state of mind, we want to make sure they get the appropriate support and help,’ Smith said.
The mass stabbing happened four years after a driver rammed into a barricade near the US Capitol and struck two Capitol police officers. The suspect then got out of a car brandishing what looked like a knife and was shot dead by cops.
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