Boy, 12, is ‘tackled from behind and stabbed in the neck by a stranger with a box cutter as he waited in line with his family at McDonald’s’
- Boy, 12, was listed in stable condition on Sunday in a Pittsburgh hospital
- Police said Charles Edward Turner, 51, stabbed boy in neck Saturday afternoon
- Turner tackled boy from behind as he was on line with family at a McDonald’s
- Police said Turner then slashed boy’s throat with black and yellow box cutter
- Boy’s family intervened, got Turner off the boy, and held him until cops arrived
- Investigators said they do not believe that Turner and the boy knew each other
- Turner faces charges of attempted homicide, assault, and resisting arrest
Charles Edward Turner, 51, faces charges of attempted homicide, assault, and resisting arrest after he allegedly tackled a 12-year-old boy from behind and stabbed him in the neck at a McDonald’s in Pittsburgh on Saturday
A 12-year-old boy was tackled from behind and stabbed in the neck by a man with a box cutter who came up from behind him while he was on line to order food with his family at a McDonald’s in downtown Pittsburgh on Saturday.
The terrifying incident took place inside the fast food restaurant on the corner of Liberty Avenue and Stanwix Street just after 2pm on Saturday.
The unidentified child was rushed to hospital in critical condition, though a criminal complaint filed against the suspect, Charles Edward Turner, 51, said that the boy was upgraded to stable condition.
Investigators said they do not believe Turner and the boy knew each other. As of Monday, they have not pinpointed a motive.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Pittsburgh Public Safety Department for comment.
Turner is facing several charges, including criminal attempted homicide, four counts of aggravated assault, two counts of simple assault, and resisting arrest, according to KDKA-TV.
The terrifying incident took place inside the fast food restaurant on the corner of Liberty Avenue and Stanwix Street just after 2pm on Saturday. Investigators are seen above at the scene of the crime on Saturday
Investigators said that they do not believe the attacker knew the victim. So far, authorities do not know the motive for the attack
He is being held at Allegheny County Jail.
‘It’s really quite a tragic thing on a beautiful Saturday downtown,’ Cara Cruz, a spokesperson for the PPSD, said.
‘He was with his family, he was standing in line, they had just zipped in for one quick thing.’
According to police, the boy was with three other family members when Turner tackled him from behind and stabbed him in the neck.
The family members immediately intervened and tried to get Turner off of the boy, but they struggled to restrain him.
One family member helped the boy while another held Turner down, according to WPXI-TV.
Turner resisted the other family member, pushing back and biting him, causing him to bleed.
According to police, the boy was with three other family members when Turner tackled him from behind and stabbed him in the neck. The family members immediately intervened and tried to get Turner off of the boy, but they struggled to restrain him. The image above shows the McDonald’s location in downtown Pittsburgh where the incident took place on Saturday
Two McDonald’s employees stepped in to try and aid the boy until police and medical first responders arrived on the scene, according to officials.
After the incident, Turner was seen outside of the restaurant pacing back and forth while yelling racial slurs, according to the criminal complaint.
Family members tried to question Turner, who told them that he ‘only wanted to finish his coffee and then leave the restaurant.’
When police arrived, Turner allegedly became combative. While he was being detained, Turner allegedly punched and kicked officers.
Investigators recovered a black and yellow box cutter at the scene as well as a piece of a razor blade that broke off the box cutter.
The restaurant closed for the remainder of the day on Saturday but reopened the next day.
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