A man launched a stabbing spree in a New York City suburb after a neighbor’s dog urinated on his lawn, even turning the knife on his own father during the attack. Three people were stabbed Thursday morning on 229th Street in the Queens neighborhood of Laurelton after a confrontation over a dog urinating on the grass escalated, according to the NYPD.
The attack, captured on surveillance video, showed an unnamed suspect repeatedly stabbing the dog’s owner, her boyfriend, and later his own 62-year-old father who tried to intervene. 'It was chaotic,' neighbor Jimmy White told CBS News, describing the scene. 'People everywhere. Police everywhere. EMS was still bringing ambulances in.'
While the 34-year-old suspect was detained at the scene, the three victims were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries and were listed in stable condition. 'It's really senseless to get violent and go to that extreme over something like that,' neighbor Bobby Sauro told WABC News.
The terrifying chain of events began just before 11 a.m., when surveillance footage showed a 39-year-old woman and her 39-year-old boyfriend walking their French Bulldog along the sidewalk. Moments later, the dog can be seen urinating on grass near a neon sign that read 'Please Be Respectful,' accompanied by an image of a dog relieving itself.
Two men, one shirtless, were seen coming out of the home and appearing to confront the situation, before both pulled their own pants down and urinated on the dog owner’s lawn in retaliation. That's when things turned violent, with the suspect allegedly drawing a knife during a brawl between neighbors and repeatedly slashing the woman’s hand and left arm. He then allegedly stabbed the woman’s boyfriend multiple times in the back, face, and head before turning on his own father, who was slashed in the hand after attempting to break up the attack.
'It’s tragic,' neighbor Jimmy White told PIX11 News. 'It's a very quiet neighborhood. We haven’t had anything like this over here.' Feda Taheri, a contractor working on White's house, told NY1: 'It’s crazy, for me it’s something unbelievable, because of the dog? Why not, just talk, you know, explain, even if you have some emotions, try to just keep that to yourself, not using any force and stuff. It’s just horrible.'
All three victims were rushed to Jamaica Hospital and are expected to recover. The NYPD announced that the 34-year-old suspect is being charged with three counts of assault, according to NY1 News.
Disturbing images showed the aftermath of the attack, with large splatters of blood visible along the sidewalk outside the home. In another photo, two large pools of blood covered the steps leading up to the residence’s front door. One photo revealed bloody rags and miscellaneous debris scattered across the grass, while additional images showed multiple police cars parked along the sidewalk. 'Very much surprising,' neighbor James McKinley told CBS News. 'I just see them. They seem like nice people to me.'
Later that afternoon, officers processed the scene, bagging evidence and recovering a knife. Residents described the neighborhood as quiet and peaceful, with White saying he had never seen anything like it in his 40 years on the block, according to NY1. 'It’s a tragedy, and it’s something that I’ve never seen or heard of on this block in the 40 years I’ve lived here,' he said. 'Normally neighbors talk to each other, help each other out.' Another neighbor, Reschonone Robinson, simply added: 'It surprised me on this block.'
However, White said unruly dogs have been an issue in the past. 'That's a problem, now and then,' White said. 'You'll see a dog coming through with no owner, no leash or anything. A few times I had to clean up in front of my house because of a loose dog.' The dog involved was not injured, according to the NYPD. The investigation remains ongoing.
