Man stabs three aboard Amtrak train
10.45 a.m. ET (1447 GMT) August 26, 1999
By Amy Beth Graves, Associated Press
OLMSTED FALLS, Ohio (AP) — A man stabbed and wounded two conductors and a passenger aboard an Amtrak train outside Cleveland early today, police said.
A suspect was arrested when a passenger, in a crowd leaving the stopped train, told police, "That's him. That's him.''
The suspect stabbed a conductor, then started slashing at people within his reach, wounding the two other victims, Olmsted Township police Chief Dennis McCafferty said. The suspect was wounded in a hand.
The three victims and the suspect were hospitalized, as was a fifth person who complained of chest pains.
Police said there was no apparent motive, adding they didn't believe the suspect
knew the victims. An 8-inch knife was found in the suspect's pants.
Patrolman Kim Kort, a crime scene technician, said it appeared the attack began in a dining car. It wasn't immediately clear whether some of the victims were stabbed in other cars, but police found heavy blood in two other cars and blood trails through four.
Jessica Franz, 17, of Detroit, was asleep when a wounded conductor stumbled into her compartment and fell.
"It was such a shock,'' said Franz, who was on her way to school at Smith College in Massachusetts. "I'm just glad it's over.''
The Lake Shore Limited, which runs daily between Chicago and New York, was approaching Cleveland with 330 people aboard when the attacks began at about 1 a.m.
A conductor stopped the train in Olmsted Falls, 14 miles southwest of Cleveland.
"When officers got on the scene there was a lot of pandemonium. People were pouring out of the train,'' McCafferty said.
McCafferty said he could not verify an earlier report that the suspect apparently
was wounded as passengers wrested the knife from him.
The suspect and victims were not identified. The other passengers were taken on buses to Cleveland.
One stabbing victim, a man in his mid-30s, was likely to have surgery for wounds to his cheek and jaw, said Patrick Garmone, a spokesman at St. John West Shore in suburban Westlake.
A woman in her mid-50s who complained of chest pains and anxiety was in stable condition, he said.
A 52-year-old man stabbed in the head was in surgery at Cleveland MetroHealth Medical Center, spokesman Kelly Goodale said. A 26-year-old man stabbed in the shoulder and chin was in stable condition.
Goodale said the 41-year-old suspect was in stable condition.
Jackie Mallory, 50, of Chicago, was still shaking when she stepped off the train for the bus trip into Cleveland.
"It's been a long night,'' she said.
---------------
Something the bannits like to screech is, "The criminals wouldn't do what they do if they didn't have guns! They're too cowardly to get their hands dirty!"
Uh-huh.
------------------
"An Eley's No. 2 is an excellent argument
with gentlemen who can twist steel pokers
into knots."
--Sherlock Holmes
10.45 a.m. ET (1447 GMT) August 26, 1999
By Amy Beth Graves, Associated Press
OLMSTED FALLS, Ohio (AP) — A man stabbed and wounded two conductors and a passenger aboard an Amtrak train outside Cleveland early today, police said.
A suspect was arrested when a passenger, in a crowd leaving the stopped train, told police, "That's him. That's him.''
The suspect stabbed a conductor, then started slashing at people within his reach, wounding the two other victims, Olmsted Township police Chief Dennis McCafferty said. The suspect was wounded in a hand.
The three victims and the suspect were hospitalized, as was a fifth person who complained of chest pains.
Police said there was no apparent motive, adding they didn't believe the suspect
knew the victims. An 8-inch knife was found in the suspect's pants.
Patrolman Kim Kort, a crime scene technician, said it appeared the attack began in a dining car. It wasn't immediately clear whether some of the victims were stabbed in other cars, but police found heavy blood in two other cars and blood trails through four.
Jessica Franz, 17, of Detroit, was asleep when a wounded conductor stumbled into her compartment and fell.
"It was such a shock,'' said Franz, who was on her way to school at Smith College in Massachusetts. "I'm just glad it's over.''
The Lake Shore Limited, which runs daily between Chicago and New York, was approaching Cleveland with 330 people aboard when the attacks began at about 1 a.m.
A conductor stopped the train in Olmsted Falls, 14 miles southwest of Cleveland.
"When officers got on the scene there was a lot of pandemonium. People were pouring out of the train,'' McCafferty said.
McCafferty said he could not verify an earlier report that the suspect apparently
was wounded as passengers wrested the knife from him.
The suspect and victims were not identified. The other passengers were taken on buses to Cleveland.
One stabbing victim, a man in his mid-30s, was likely to have surgery for wounds to his cheek and jaw, said Patrick Garmone, a spokesman at St. John West Shore in suburban Westlake.
A woman in her mid-50s who complained of chest pains and anxiety was in stable condition, he said.
A 52-year-old man stabbed in the head was in surgery at Cleveland MetroHealth Medical Center, spokesman Kelly Goodale said. A 26-year-old man stabbed in the shoulder and chin was in stable condition.
Goodale said the 41-year-old suspect was in stable condition.
Jackie Mallory, 50, of Chicago, was still shaking when she stepped off the train for the bus trip into Cleveland.
"It's been a long night,'' she said.
---------------
Something the bannits like to screech is, "The criminals wouldn't do what they do if they didn't have guns! They're too cowardly to get their hands dirty!"
Uh-huh.
------------------
"An Eley's No. 2 is an excellent argument
with gentlemen who can twist steel pokers
into knots."
--Sherlock Holmes
