SEATTLE (AP) — A man has been arrested in connection with a spate of random stabbings over two days in Seattle, in which nine people were injured -- five of them on Friday afternoon, police said.
“This incident was apparently one individual over a 38-hour period of time committing random assaults,” Deputy Chief Eric Barden said at the scene Friday.
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People wait for a bus near the area where multiple people were stabbed earlier Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, in the Chinatown-International District in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Police officers gather security camera footage from nearby businesses after multiple people were stabbed earlier in the area Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, in the Chinatown-International District in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Drivers move through the area where multiple people were stabbed earlier Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, in the Chinatown-International District in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Police officers stand near the scene as they gather security camera footage after multiple people were stabbed in the area Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, in the Chinatown-International District in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Police officers take a statement from a nearby business owner after multiple people were stabbed Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, in the Chinatown-International District in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Police officers stand near the scene as they gather security camera footage after multiple people were stabbed Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, in the Chinatown-International District in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
The stabbings on Friday afternoon took place in a roughly four-block area in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District.
Witnesses reported a description of the suspect and officers found him nearby and took him into custody, police said. A weapon was found near the person who was arrested, and a knife was lodged in one of the victims, police said.
Four of the victims were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and one victim was treated at the scene and released. A Harborview spokesperson confirmed four victims were at the hospital and said all were in critical condition. As of Friday evening, two of them remained in critical condition, one had been upgraded to serious condition and the other to satisfactory condition, the spokesperson said.
Barden said police suspect that the person arrested in connection with Friday's stabbings is the same person involved with at least four other stabbings that happened starting early Thursday. He cited similar suspect descriptions and the randomness of the attacks, but added that the investigation is ongoing.
The Thursday stabbings in Chinatown started when a 52-year-old woman was found with multiple stab wounds, police said. On Thursday afternoon, a 32-year-old man was found after being stabbed multiple times and at about 8 p.m. a 37-year-old man was stabbed multiple times in the back, police said.
Then early on Friday, police responding to an assault call found a 53-year-old man bleeding heavily from a neck injury. Police followed a blood trail to a nearby doorway and unsuccessfully used that as a starting point for police dogs to try and track a suspect.
“It is my understanding that everyone is alive,” Barden said of the victims on Friday afternoon.
Police said a 10th stabbing on Thursday night involved a cellphone robbery in which someone forcibly opened a vehicle door and tried to stab a 60-year-old man in the chest. The victim blocked the assault and was cut on his hand, police said. It was not clear that it was connected to the random attacks, police said.
People wait for a bus near the area where multiple people were stabbed earlier Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, in the Chinatown-International District in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Police officers gather security camera footage from nearby businesses after multiple people were stabbed earlier in the area Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, in the Chinatown-International District in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Drivers move through the area where multiple people were stabbed earlier Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, in the Chinatown-International District in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Police officers stand near the scene as they gather security camera footage after multiple people were stabbed in the area Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, in the Chinatown-International District in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Police officers take a statement from a nearby business owner after multiple people were stabbed Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, in the Chinatown-International District in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Police officers stand near the scene as they gather security camera footage after multiple people were stabbed Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, in the Chinatown-International District in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
HEALDSBURG, Calif. (AP) — Heavy downpours fell over much of Northern California on Friday, causing small landslides, overflowing a river and flooding some streets, including in parts of San Francisco. Meanwhile tens of thousands of people were still without power in the Seattle area after several days in the dark.
The storm arrived in the Pacific Northwest earlier this week, killing two people and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands, mostly in the Seattle area, before moving through Northern California, where several roads were closed due to flooding and strong winds toppled trees.
Forecasters warned about the risk of flash flooding and rockslides in areas north of San Francisco from this season’s strongest atmospheric river — a long plume of moisture that forms over an ocean and flows through the sky over land.
On the East Coast, another storm brought much-needed rain to New York and New Jersey, where rare wildfires have raged in recent weeks. The rain eased the fire danger for the rest of the year was a boost for ski resorts preparing to open in the weeks ahead. Parts of West Virginia were under a blizzard warning through Saturday morning, with up to 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow and high winds making travel treacherous.
In California's Humboldt County, the sheriff’s office downgraded evacuation orders to warnings for people near the Eel River after forecasters said the waterway would see moderate but not major flooding. Officials urged residents to prepare for storm impacts throughout the week.
Flooding closed scenic Highway 1, also known as the Pacific Coast Highway, in neighboring Mendocino County north of Point Arena near the Garcia River, and there was no estimate for when it would reopen, according to the California Department of Transportation.
Santa Rosa saw its wettest three-day period on record with about 12.5 inches (32 centimeters) of rain, according to the National Weather Service in the Bay Area.
A small mudslide threatened a home in the community of Fitch Mountain, near Healdsburg, nestled in hills along the Russian River in Sonoma County. Moderate rain was falling, and officials worried the slide could grow and hit several homes downhill.
“Our concern is while this property may be OK, the earth between it and the road below is slipping, and the mudslide is affecting downhill properties,” said Tennis Wick, permits and resource director for Sonoma County.
Dana Eaton, who lives in one of the downhill properties and was clad in a yellow rain slicker and hat, said she was worried, too. In 2019, mud cascaded into a neighbor’s garage.
Asked what the last few days have been like, she laughed: “Wet. Constant rain. It’s like everywhere else in the county, but so far nothing major, just concerns.”
In Washington state nearly 127,000 people were still without electricity, mostly in the Seattle area's King County, as crews worked to clear streets of downed lines, branches and other debris. Utility officials said the outages, which began Tuesday, could last into Saturday.
People flocked to a suburban senior center in Issaquah to get warm food and plug in their cellphones and other devices. One of them, Melissa Tryon, said she had been unable to charge her electric motorized wheelchair and had to throw out all the food in her refrigerator after it went bad.
“Today I kind of had a little bit of a meltdown,” Tyron said. “It’s hard to be cut off for that long.”
Gale warnings were issued off Washington, Oregon and California, and high wind warnings were in effect across parts of Northern California and Oregon. There were winter storm warnings for parts of the California Cascades and the Sierra Nevada.
The National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada, reported a 128-mph (206-kph) gust of wind in the morning at the top of Palisades Tahoe ski resort, about 10 miles northwest of Lake Tahoe, where some runs were open. Gusts up to 86 mph (138 kph) were recorded at Mt. Rose, which closed due to the weather.
The system roared ashore on the West Coast on Tuesday as a “ bomb cyclone,” which occurs when a cyclone intensifies rapidly. It unleashed fierce winds that toppled trees onto roads, vehicles and homes.
Debra Campbell, 65, said she was sitting in the dark with a flashlight that night, unable to sleep as strong winds lashed her house in Crescent City, California. With a massive boom, a 150-foot (46-meter) tree came crashing down on her home and car.
“It was just so incredibly frightening," Campbell said. "Once I realized it wasn’t going to come through the ceiling where I was at, I was able to grab my car keys and my purse. ... And I open the front door and it’s just solid tree.”
She was able to stay with her boyfriend that night, but now, living on Social Security and with no savings, she worries about how she will to pay for repairs.
Officials warned of the risk of flash flooding, rockslides and debris flows, especially where hillsides were loosened by recent wildfires.
In the Northeast, which has been hit by drought, more than 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain was expected by Saturday morning north of New York City, with snow mixed in at higher elevations.
Despite the mess, the precipitation was expected to help ease drought conditions in a state that has seen an exceptionally dry fall.
“It’s not going to be a drought buster, but it’s definitely going to help when all this melts,” said Bryan Greenblatt, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Binghamton, New York.
Heavy snow fell in northeastern Pennsylvania, including the Pocono Mountains, prompting a raft of school closures. Higher elevations reported up to 17 inches (43 centimeters), with lesser accumulations in valley cities like Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. More than 100,000 customers in 10 counties lost power, and the state transportation department imposed speed restrictions on some highways.
Gary Wilson, 37, of Dunmore, Pennsylvania, was heading to his casino job in the Poconos in the morning when he got stuck in standstill traffic, a consequence of accidents and downed wires. At one point he worried about getting stranded because it was snowing hard and plows couldn’t get through. Traffic began moving again only after about five hours, and Wilson never did make it to work.
“I’m done for the day,” Wilson said. “Five and a half hours in the car, turn around and get home safe.”
Rodriguez reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Hallie Golden in Seattle, Janie Har in San Francisco, Manuel Valdes in Issaquah, Washington, Sarah Brumfield in Washington, D.C., Michael Rubinkam in Pennsylvania and John Raby in West Virginia contributed.
Firefighters walk through floodwaters while responding to a rescue call in unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A man looks at a tree that fell on power lines during a major storm in Issaquah, Wash., on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
Cars drive through floodwaters as they rise in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A scooter rider wears a poncho and a plastic bag as a rain cover for the handlebars as they and other scooter riders battle the rain as they ride along Market Street, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024 in San Francisco, Calif. (Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A pick-up truck drives through floodwaters as heavy rains fall in Windsor, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Livestock graze on a patch field not flooded by the swollen Eel River in Ferndale, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Livestock graze on a patch field not flooded by the swollen Eel River in Ferndale, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Floodwaters surround a van as heavy rains fall in Windsor, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Damage is seen after a tree crashed through a home and fence during a bomb cyclone storm system in Sammamish, Wash., on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Jason Skipper via AP)
Leticia Lezama sits in her disabled car as Gabe Sitton works to rescue her from floodwaters on Slusser Rd. as heavy rains fall in Windsor, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Flood water covers a vineyard along Windsor Road as heavy rains continue in Windsor, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A driver, left, waits for his truck to be removed from an accident site after sliding into a hillside during snow showers, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, near Quinwood, W.Va. (Jenny Harnish/The Register-Herald via AP)
Nia McKinnon and Elizabeth Hintz, both 14, look at their phones at a charging station located in the Senior Center in Issaquah, Wash., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
People charge their electronics at a charging station set up at the Issaquah Senior Center in Issaquah, Wash., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
Nia McKinnon and Elizabeth Hintz, both 14, look at their phones at a charging station located in the Senior Center in Issaquah, Wash., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
Linda Ryall and Todd Nielsen look at each other's phones at a charging station located in the Issaquah Senior Center in Issaquah, Wash., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
A firefighter drives past flooded vineyards as heavy rains continue in Windsor, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (Photo by Noah Berger)
A firefighter returns to his truck among flooded vineyards as heavy rains continue in Windsor, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (Photo by Noah Berger)
Sharon Scofield, 71, checks the debris in her front yard after winds knocked over many signs and halloween decorations, as flood water from the swollen Eel River is seen in the background in Ferndale, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024.(Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
People gather to charge their electronics at a charging station set up at the Issaquah Senior Center in Issaquah, Wash., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
Jorge Martinez, left, and Manuel Barral pause after the crossed a road flooded by rain waters from the nearby Eel River in Ferndale, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024.(Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A firefighter drives past flooded vineyards as heavy rains continue in Windsor, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (Photo by Noah Berger)
A firefighter returns to his truck among flooded vineyards as heavy rains continue in Windsor, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (Photo by Noah Berger)
Residents work to shore up a mudslide as heavy rains fall near Healdsburg in unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Permit Sonoma Director Tennis Wick crosses a mudslide to inspect a home as heavy rains fall near Healdsburg in unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Permit Sonoma Director Tennis Wick crosses a mudslide to inspect a home as heavy rains fall near Healdsburg in unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Permit Sonoma Director Tennis Wick crosses a mudslide to inspect a home as heavy rains fall near Healdsburg in unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A firefighter evaluates a mudslide as heavy rains fall near Healdsburg in unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Workers clear walking paths with snow blowers during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort in Norden, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)
A pickup truck makes its way through a flooded street in Santa Rosa, Calif. Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Pedestrians cross a flooded street during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Santa Rosa, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
A worker clears the entrance to a building with a snow blower during a storm, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort in Norden, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)
A downed tree destroys a vehicle and a property during a storm, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Forestville, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
A lone skier rides on a lift Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort in Norden, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)
Salvador Garza shovels snow from the front of his shop Crystal Tones in Mt. Shasta, Calif.,, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, where runoff from rain and melting snow has begun to create standing water after an atmospheric river storm dumped significant precipitation in the area since Tuesday evening. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Big Chico Creek swirls by a swimming area at One Mile Recreation, runoff from Tuesday's rain and melting snow created flooding concerns as an atmospheric river storm dumped significant precipitation in Chico, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A worker clears a road with a snow blower during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort in Norden, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)
A downed tree lands over a property during a storm, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Forestville, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
A member of an emergency crew walks in knee-deep flooded street during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Santa Rosa, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Flood water is seen across State Route 254 near Redcrest, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A rescue team help a stranded motorist in a flooded street during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Santa Rosa, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Snow comes down on trees and a road during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort in Norden, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)
The Baer family, Larry, from left, Tiffany and their daughter Chloe stop to see Big Chico Creek swirling by a swimming area at One Mile Recreation Area, as runoff from Tuesday's rain and melting snow created flooding concerns from an atmospheric river storm that dumped significant precipitation in Chico, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A passenger plane taxies on a water-soaked runway at San Francisco Airport while passengers wait for flights on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Andy Bao)
Cars are covered in snow during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Soda Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)
A downed tree lands over a property during a storm, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Forestville, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
A vineyard is flooded during a storm, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Forestville, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
A pedestrian walks along a flooded street during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Santa Rosa, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
A car is left stranded on a flooded road during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Windsor, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
