A 26-year-old man is behind bars after he allegedly launched a vicious stabbing spree in Arizona and is connected to a homicide in New York City, officials said. Raad Almansoori faces a slew of charges, including attempted murder and aggravated assault, related to assaults on female employees at a Starbucks in Phoenix and a McDonald's in Surprise, as well as theft and robbery. According to court records, in both Arizona incidents, the victims sustained multiple stab wounds, including to the neck. Police said that Almansoori, armed with a gun and knife, attacked the two women on consecutive days, February 17 and 18.
The first assault occurred when the suspect approached a Starbucks employee on her break, assaulting her at her vehicle, and then fled after the attack. The next day, Almansoori followed a McDonald's employee into the women's restroom and stabbed her multiple times when she started to scream, according to 12 News. A car was stolen blocks away from the McDonald's shortly after, and police, who found the vehicle in Scottsdale, matched Almansoori to the suspect description and took him into custody.
During a court appearance, Detective Jeremy Goebel with the Surprise Police Department revealed that Almansoori admitted to wanting to rape and kill both Arizona victims based on their looks. He noted the first victim described Almansoori's eyes as "evil," with dark pupils. "He stated that he’s been seeking to find love his whole life and hasn’t been able to find it," Goebel told the court, as reported by 12 News.
Almansoori's attorney pointed out that the defendant had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. The suspect remained mostly silent during the hearing. Police also learned of Almansoori's chilling plans to kill more individuals including his own family, and he provided detailed plans of how he intended to hire an Uber driver, kill them, and use their vehicle to murder his father, stepmother, and burn their house down. In addition to the Arizona offenses, Almansoori is wanted in New York for the murder of a woman at a Soho hotel. Authorities confirmed that Almansoori flew to Arizona shortly after the alleged murder, which took place on February 7 or 8.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell declared that Almansoori would not be extradited to New York until he faces his charges in Arizona, keeping him detained in the state where the recent attacks occurred. The suspect has an extensive criminal record spanning states like Texas, Arizona, and Florida, including a previous incident in April where he allegedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted a woman, after which he was released on bail.
