Standing in line at a taco truck waiting for a late-night snack almost cost a 23-year-old woman her life, but she’ll apparently be OK — at least physically — after being the random stabbing victim of an attacker high on meth.
The “wrong place at wrong time” victim remained hospitalized Friday in stable condition with a number of stab wounds that were mainly to her hands and arms as she desperately tried to defend herself in the East Los Angeles incident, said Lt. Alex Salinas of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s East Los Angeles station.
The accused 29-year-old man who admitted he had spent the day high on meth before he allegedly chose the victim at random for the knife attack remained in custody Friday.
The suspect, whose name has not been released, also was taken to a hospital following the attack Wednesday late in the evening near the intersection of Whittier Boulevard and Clela Avenue.
Salinas said deputies who happened to have been in the area used force to take down the man, who later told deputies he had been high on meth all day prior to the attack. Taking him to the hospital was common practice because force was used, but the man was not injured, Salinas said.
The victim was in line at a taco truck with her mother when the suspect grabbed her by the neck and dragged her away, Salinas said.
A man driving by who saw the attack attempted to scare off the suspect with a crowbar but was unsuccessful, according to Salinas. The good Samaritan sustained a minor injury while attempting to stop the attack but not one that warranted a hospital trip, he added.
—City News Service