Holly MatkinColorado Springs, CO – A knife-wielding attacker brutally stabbed eight random people in a series of unprovoked attacks early Monday morning.
Colorado Springs police responded to the area of Limit Street and Eighth Street for an initial report of a stabbing at approximately 1:30 a.m., The New York Times reported.
They located two victims at that location, and were told that the suspect had fled down one of the walking trails in nearby America the Beautiful Park.
Several officers headed down the Midland Trail towards the Pikes Peak Greenway to search for the attacker while other officers rendered aid to the first two victims, KKTV reported.
“As we proceeded along the trail, we found several other people that the suspect came in contact with and had also assaulted,” Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) Sergeant Shawn Peterson told the news outlet. “We ended up getting…several other calls for service with regards to injured victims.”
The attacker kept stabbing people he encountered as he made his way through the area.
Just before 2:15 a.m., police received a report that the suspect stabbed several more victims in the area of East Boulder Street and North Tejon Street, KUSA reported.
They arrived to find that some of the victims fought back and managed to apprehend the suspect, who was subsequently taken into custody.
His identity has not been released.
“There doesn’t appear to be any accomplices,” Sgt. Peterson told KKTV. “There appears to be one sole individual doing this.”
Investigators said that the attacks appeared to be random, and that there are no known relationships between the suspect and the victims, KUSA reported.
Seven of the eight stabbing victims were transported to UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central, according to The New York Times.
Five of the victims have since been released.
Hospital spokesperson Dan Weaver refused to comment on the conditions of the other two victims.
The condition and location of the eighth victim was not immediately known, The New York Times reported.
“I’d really like to thank all the public for assisting us in help catching him, along with medical and [fire department personnel],” Sgt. Peterson told KKTV. “Their quick response really helped these victims and also helped police locate the suspect.”