Harry Tuttle
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Suspect in Montgomery Mall Stabbing Identified
By Lori Aratani, Allan Lengel and David Snyder
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, May 26, 2005; 4:05 PM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/26/AR2005052600640.html
Antoinette C. Starks, 48, who is charged with stabbing two women at a Nordstrom store in a Montgomery County mall last night, was ordered today to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Court documents released today show that Starks, of the 6000 block of Greenbelt Road in Greenbelt, was released from prison on Tuesday after being convicted of a charge of destruction of property. They also allege that the weapon used in the attacks was two kitchen knives taped together.
Starks, who appeared today before Maryland District Court Judge Gary Everngam, is being held in the Montgomery County Detention Center without bond.
Police said last night that the stabbings appeared to be random. One woman shopper was stabbed repeatedly and then the attacker calmly walked to an escalator and began striking a second woman with the knife. The violence, which sent dozens of screaming customers running for the store exits, ended when an off-duty FBI agent who witnessed the second stabbing pulled out his gun, ordered the woman to drop the knife and arrested her, police said.
Both women were taken to hospitals with injuries that were thought not to be life-threatening.
"At this time, we believe this was random," Lt. Eric Burnett, a spokesman for Montgomery County police, said last night. "We have no idea what prompted this assault."
The incident began about 6:55 p.m. at Westfield Shoppingtown Montgomery -- the shopping center on Democracy Boulevard formerly known as Montgomery Mall -- when a woman attacked a 24-year-old shopper in the customer service area on the store's third floor. The shopper was stabbed in the abdomen and upper back, police said, and suffered defensive wounds on both arms.
Irina Slutsky was riding up to the third floor when a saleswoman came running toward the escalator and told riders: "Go back down! Go back down!"
Slutsky had already reached the third floor, where she saw a woman gripping what Slutsky said appeared to be a kitchen knife in her right hand, held at her side.
"It was dripping blood, not a lot, but it was dripping blood," Slutsky said. "Unless you were paying attention, you couldn't see the knife." The attacker "was walking calmly toward the down escalator," she said.
The assailant then headed down the escalator toward the second floor and started attacking a woman wearing a pink sweater and black pants, Slutsky said.
"She kind of leaned over and started stabbing this woman in the back," said Slutsky, who is visiting from San Francisco. The second victim, who authorities said was in her twenties, "started running down on the escalator, trying to get away, and the woman with the knife started running after her," Slutsky said.
Moments later, Adam Karcher, an FBI agent who had been behind the attacker on the escalator, intervened and arrested her, police said. Karcher was not available for comment last night.
Some witnesses reported hearing gunshots, but authorities said no shots were fired.
Robin Wexler of Bethesda, who was with his wife, Elaine, said he was shopping for sneakers on the second floor, near the escalator, when he heard "people screaming. It sounded like an argument."
"Initially, everyone just ran in all different directions screaming," he said. He said employees directed him, his wife and a few other customers into a stockroom. Shortly afterward, they were told to leave the store, he said.
"It's very weird to go out, buy a pair of shoes and all of sudden, all hell breaks loose," Wexler said.
One of the victims was being treated last night at Washington Hospital Center; the other was at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda. A county fire department spokesman said two people in the store were treated for breathing problems.
Deniz Anders, a Nordstrom spokeswoman at the company's headquarters in Seattle, said the retailer was preparing to provide psychological help to employees.
"We're extremely concerned about the condition [of] the two women involved in the incident and all of our employees and customers," Anders said. "We are extremely grateful to the FBI agent for taking quick action."
The store reopened this morning.
By Lori Aratani, Allan Lengel and David Snyder
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, May 26, 2005; 4:05 PM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/26/AR2005052600640.html
Antoinette C. Starks, 48, who is charged with stabbing two women at a Nordstrom store in a Montgomery County mall last night, was ordered today to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Court documents released today show that Starks, of the 6000 block of Greenbelt Road in Greenbelt, was released from prison on Tuesday after being convicted of a charge of destruction of property. They also allege that the weapon used in the attacks was two kitchen knives taped together.
Starks, who appeared today before Maryland District Court Judge Gary Everngam, is being held in the Montgomery County Detention Center without bond.
Police said last night that the stabbings appeared to be random. One woman shopper was stabbed repeatedly and then the attacker calmly walked to an escalator and began striking a second woman with the knife. The violence, which sent dozens of screaming customers running for the store exits, ended when an off-duty FBI agent who witnessed the second stabbing pulled out his gun, ordered the woman to drop the knife and arrested her, police said.
Both women were taken to hospitals with injuries that were thought not to be life-threatening.
"At this time, we believe this was random," Lt. Eric Burnett, a spokesman for Montgomery County police, said last night. "We have no idea what prompted this assault."
The incident began about 6:55 p.m. at Westfield Shoppingtown Montgomery -- the shopping center on Democracy Boulevard formerly known as Montgomery Mall -- when a woman attacked a 24-year-old shopper in the customer service area on the store's third floor. The shopper was stabbed in the abdomen and upper back, police said, and suffered defensive wounds on both arms.
Irina Slutsky was riding up to the third floor when a saleswoman came running toward the escalator and told riders: "Go back down! Go back down!"
Slutsky had already reached the third floor, where she saw a woman gripping what Slutsky said appeared to be a kitchen knife in her right hand, held at her side.
"It was dripping blood, not a lot, but it was dripping blood," Slutsky said. "Unless you were paying attention, you couldn't see the knife." The attacker "was walking calmly toward the down escalator," she said.
The assailant then headed down the escalator toward the second floor and started attacking a woman wearing a pink sweater and black pants, Slutsky said.
"She kind of leaned over and started stabbing this woman in the back," said Slutsky, who is visiting from San Francisco. The second victim, who authorities said was in her twenties, "started running down on the escalator, trying to get away, and the woman with the knife started running after her," Slutsky said.
Moments later, Adam Karcher, an FBI agent who had been behind the attacker on the escalator, intervened and arrested her, police said. Karcher was not available for comment last night.
Some witnesses reported hearing gunshots, but authorities said no shots were fired.
Robin Wexler of Bethesda, who was with his wife, Elaine, said he was shopping for sneakers on the second floor, near the escalator, when he heard "people screaming. It sounded like an argument."
"Initially, everyone just ran in all different directions screaming," he said. He said employees directed him, his wife and a few other customers into a stockroom. Shortly afterward, they were told to leave the store, he said.
"It's very weird to go out, buy a pair of shoes and all of sudden, all hell breaks loose," Wexler said.
One of the victims was being treated last night at Washington Hospital Center; the other was at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda. A county fire department spokesman said two people in the store were treated for breathing problems.
Deniz Anders, a Nordstrom spokeswoman at the company's headquarters in Seattle, said the retailer was preparing to provide psychological help to employees.
"We're extremely concerned about the condition [of] the two women involved in the incident and all of our employees and customers," Anders said. "We are extremely grateful to the FBI agent for taking quick action."
The store reopened this morning.
