Stabbing at Alderwood Mall sends three to hospital; shoppers flee

LYNNWOOD, Wash. — Police responded Sunday afternoon to a stabbing at the Alderwood Mall food court in Lynnwood.

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WHAT TO KNOW:

• Police responded to Alderwood Mall around 2 p.m.
• Stabbing occurred in food court
• 4 injured; 2 stabbed and 2 injured fleeing scene
• Person critically injured was food court employee
• Suspect in custody, victim taken to Harborview

The chaos inside Alderwood Mall began just before 2 p.m. Sunday.

Brian Swanson was inside the mall with his four-year-old daughter.

"I just heard there was a stabbing," he said.

Eyewitnesses siad a man began stabbing a worker in the mall's food court.

"I know that he was an unhappy customer in the food court," said Lynnwood Fire Battalion Chief Jason Turner. "But I don't know the specifics."

Turner said then a second man, in his mid-30s, jumped in.

"Just a patron," said Turner. "Someone here at the mall, a good Samaritan, trying to put a stop to what he thought was someone trying to take another person's life. So a hero."

The worker was badly injured, but a nursing supervisor at Harborview Medical Center said he is in satisfactory condition.

As for the suspect, he will likely have his first court appearance Monday afternoon.

Lynnwood police converged in the mall and quickly took the 37-year-old suspect into custody.

The attack sparked pandemonium as shoppers rushed to get out of the mall.

"I didn't know what was going on," exclaimed Pallabi Singh of Bothell. "And then I saw the police car come in and I saw the fire truck come and we just left because people were just -- they were in a hurry and had a weird expression on their face. So we knew something happened, but we didn't know what it was."

Two women hurt fleeing the mall are expected to be OK.

This past Christmas Eve, a man was stabbed while trying to break up a fight at the same mall.

According to police, during that Alderwood Mall stabbing, a fight broke out between the suspect and another teen. The victim stepped in to break up the fight and was stabbed. Read more here.

Stay with kiro7.com for updates.

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