A 31-year-old woman was stabbed multiple times while coming to her sister's defense on a downtown Oakland sidewalk Tuesday evening, according to initial police reports. The attacker fled on foot before officers arrived, and the injured woman was rushed to a hospital where she remained in stable condition Wednesday.
The violence erupted at about 5:35 p.m. in the 1300 block of Broadway, according to authorities, as reported by The Mercury News. Initial police reports said a 21-year-old woman got into an argument with a man on the street, and that the man pulled a knife and tried to stab her. He missed, then attempted to stab her again and also missed, per those reports.
That is when the younger woman's 31-year-old sister intervened, according to the initial reports, and she was stabbed multiple times in the confrontation. She was later treated for at least two stab wounds. The 21-year-old woman pepper-sprayed the man during the struggle, the reports indicate, and he then ran off on foot before police reached the scene.
Bystanders Stepped in to Help
Passersby provided first aid to the injured woman at the scene before she was transported by ambulance to a hospital, according to the reports cited by the same outlet. She was listed in stable condition there as of Wednesday. Police have not released a detailed description of the man who fled, and it has not been said whether the two women and the man knew each other or what the argument was about.
The case echoes a recent incident in San Francisco, where the District Attorney's Office described a Muni stabbing victim as a Good Samaritan who intervened on behalf of two passengers before a suspect pulled a box cutter on him, according to Mission Local. Oakland itself saw a deadlier string of stabbings last month, when one person was killed and four others injured in a series of attacks that ended with a suspect's arrest in the 1500 block of 39th Avenue.
Investigation Continues
No arrest has been reported in Tuesday's Broadway stabbing, and the man's whereabouts remain unknown. Anyone with information has been asked to contact investigators at 510-238-3426.
