Felony charges are expected to be filed Wednesday against an itinerant suspected of stabbing and trying to kill a pedestrian walking near a Riverside shopping center.
Adam Edward Chang, 41, was arrested and booked into the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on Friday on suspicion of attempted murder and a hate crime allegation.
Chang is being held without bail. His case is under review by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
According to Officer Ryan Railsback of the Riverside Police Department, at about 7:30 a.m. Friday, the victim, identified only as a Riverside man, was walking in the area of Central and De Anza avenues, near the Riverside Plaza, where multiple stores and restaurants are located, when he was approached by Chang.
Railsback said the suspect pulled a sharp-edged weapon — the type wasn’t specified — and plunged it into the victim several times.
Witnesses called 911 as the man collapsed, and patrol officers swarmed the location, quickly locating Chang and taking him into custody without incident, according to the police spokesman.
The victim was taken to Riverside Community Hospital, where he remains in critical condition, Railsback said.
He did not disclose the basis on which officers booked Chang for an alleged hate crime.
Railsback said the homeless man drifted down from Northern California, but it was unclear how long he had been in Riverside.
No further background information was available.