Suspect fatally injured by man who intervened during Burbank stabbing
BURBANK, Calif. (FOX 11) - A 36-year-old homeless man accused of randomly stabbing a patron today at a Burbank Burger King suffered fatal injuries after another patron intervened, police said.
The stabbing victim, reported to be a man in his 70s, was attacked around 11 a.m. at the Burger King at 545 Victory Blvd., according to the Burbank Police Department.
"The investigation thus far has shown that an elderly man was seated inside the restaurant with two acquaintances," Burbank police Sgt. Derek Green said. "For unknown reasons, a male suspect entered the restaurant armed with a knife and began stabbing the victim."
Another restaurant patron intervened and, during the ensuing struggle, "the suspect sustained several knife wounds," Green said.
When the assailant allegedly took action, the victim was sitting with two friends who told reporters that they are regular patrons of the restaurant.
"We were sitting @ the table, the three of us, to talk," one man told reporters. "We come here every day...
"And then the guy all of a sudden got up ... and he started to go like this," the man said, making a stabbing motion. "I didn't know he had a knife. I thought he was hitting my friend. Then some guy, thank God he was here... he was strong enough to hold the guy down, otherwise he was going to kill everybody here. You have no idea, that guy (the assailant) was going nuts."
Another witness said the suspect was "yelling and screaming" when he stood up and started attacking the man.
The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital, but the suspect, who had been hospitalized "with significant, life-threatening injuries," later died, Green said.
The apparent good Samaritan who intervened was not taken to a hospital, the sergeant said.
"This attack appears to be completely random and unprovoked," Green said.
The suspect was identified as James Rey Richard Kagaoan, whose last-reported address was in Sun Valley, Green said.