The Whole Foods in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. (Google Maps).
A teen tried to run after allegedly stabbing a man he did not know at a Whole Foods in California — but according to police, he did not get far.
A 15-year-old juvenile has been arrested in connection with the stabbing, which happened Tuesday shortly after 6:30 p.m., South Lake Tahoe officials said in a statement posted to Facebook.
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“Officers arrived on scene and located a 42-year-old male victim of South Lake Tahoe, being tended to by witnesses in the outdoor seating area at Whole Foods,” the statement said. The victim, who was not immediately publicly identified, “had received multiple stab[] wounds” and was taken by ambulance to an area hospital, police said.
After learning that the suspect had “fled the area on foot,” officers got a description and acted fast, according to authorities.
“Within 5 minutes, South Lake Tahoe officers located and detained the suspect on foot in the Ski Run area,” the statement said. “The suspect was identified as a 15-year-old male juvenile of South Lake Tahoe.”
The teen and victim are apparently “unknown to each other and the stabbing was unprovoked,” the city’s statement said. After being booked into the El Dorado County Juvenile Treatment Center for attempted murder, he was held without bail, authorities said.
Police publicly acknowledged the role of witnesses in helping authorities catch the suspect — and care for the victim.
“South Lake Tahoe Police Department would like to thank the members of the community on scene who took action to tend to the victim and provided critical information to the officers, which swiftly led to the arrest of the suspect,” city officials said.
“The victim remains in the hospital, in stable condition,” the statement added.
South Lake Tahoe sits in the northeast part of California, along the Nevada border.
The post Whole Foods shopper stabbed by teen who then tried to run away: Police first appeared on Law & Crime.
