A harrowing scene unfolded in Westminster this past weekend when a father was stabbed as he defended his young daughter from an alleged knife attack by a homeless woman. The incident occurred around 4:45 p.m. on Sunday in the Westminster Civic Center courtyard, as reported by NBC Los Angeles. The suspect, identified as 43-year-old Victoria Vu, reportedly threw a bottle at the pair before charging at them with what police believe was a switchblade.
The young girl was unharmed and, it seems, saved by the swift intervention of her father and a yet-unidentified Good Samaritan who helped thwart the attack, "The father, like any parent would do, intervened and took multiple stab wounds protecting his 3-year-old daughter," Cameron Knauerhaze, deputy chief of the Westminster Police Department, told NBC Los Angeles. Detectives are reviewing security footage to identify the person who courageously stepped in, but this individual had left the scene before authorities arrived.
In a separate account, CBS News Los Angeles reported that responding officers from the Westminster Police Department found the man bleeding from multiple stab wounds rendering aid; he was later treated by paramedics from the Orange County Fire Authority. The police have taken Vu into custody, also recovering the knife allegedly used in the assault.
Regarding the motivation for this unsettling event, information remains scant; investigators are working to piece together what incited such violence in what seems an unprovoked attack according to a statement from the Westminster Police Department, Vu is now facing charges including attempted murder, child endangerment, and possession of a switchblade. As the community reels from the implications of this violence, authorities are urging anyone with information, especially the good Samaritan whose identity remains unknown, to reach out and contact WPD detectives at (714) 548-3724, as mentioned on FOX LA.
