By Nathan Solis
Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — A 23-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a woman and her dog were stabbed Tuesday night with what appeared to be a sword in Los Angeles’ Mid-Wilshire neighborhood.
Neighbors said the victim was the suspect’s mother, and her son was having what appeared to be a mental health crisis. Video released from an officer’s body camera showed police using a Taser to restrain the suspect, who appeared to be holding a pair of swords.
The attack on the 43-year-old woman and her pet appears to be an isolated incident, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. She was transported to a hospital with multiple cuts to her arm and listed as stable.
KTLA-TV reported that witnesses saw a man fatally stab the woman’s dog. The LAPD did not have any information on the dog’s condition.
Police received multiple calls about a person attacking someone with a deadly weapon in the 1200 block of South Victoria Avenue shortly before midnight, said Officer Lizeth Lomeli, a spokesperson with the LAPD. Police said they arrived at the scene and saw the suspect with a sword in his hand. He refused to put the sword down and police used a Taser on the suspect. He was taken into custody shortly afterward, police said.
Neighbor Josh Gordon , who lives across the street from where the attack took place, believes the suspect was having a mental health crisis. Gordon said the victim was attacked with what appeared to be large blades, similar to a machete.
“He did not seem to be in a lucid state,” Gordon said of the suspect. “He was moving and walking slowly. My main concern was the woman’s safety. There was a real sense of helplessness watching it happen from across the street.”
The woman was yelling for help, Gordon said, and pleaded with the suspect. At one point she cried out, “I’m your mother,” according to Gordon.
The LAPD did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the relation between the suspect and the victim.
The suspect was identified as Eric Herrera, police said. His bail was set at $1 million, according to jail records.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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