Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Las Vegas man arrested after four ‘random’ stabbings

Updated Friday, Aug. 9, 2013 | 5:30 p.m.

Click to enlarge photo

Lee Sanford

A 53-year-old man was arrested late Thursday after he allegedly stabbed four strangers at an intersection near the Strip, according to Metro Police.

At approximately 11:15 p.m., Metro Police were called to Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane, where an adult male was reportedly “randomly stabbing” individuals at the intersection, according to a Metro press release.

At the scene, officers found four people who all claimed they were attacked by the same suspect, later identified by Metro Police as Las Vegas resident Lee Sanford. All four victims were transported to University Medical Center with nonlife-threatening injuries.

Around 11:30 p.m., officers located Sanford in a fast food restaurant at Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue. According to police, Sanford was holding a “large knife” and had a gash on his hand, for which he needed medical treatment.

Sanford surrendered without incident, and after his hand was treated, he was transported to the Clark County Detention Center and booked on four counts of battery with a deadly weapon.

Sanford had no prior contact with the victims, and the attacks appear to be random, according to Metro Police.

A Metro arrest report indicates the following:

One victim said he noticed a man later identified as Sanford approaching him on Harmon Avenue with a large knife in his hand and was stabbed in the left elbow and lower back. A 16-year-old said he was standing at the corner of Koval and Harmon when he was stabbed in the right shoulder.

Another victim said she was standing on Harmon Avenue when she thought she felt like someone punched her lower back. When she touched the area, she realized she had been stabbed. The fourth victim was stabbed in the stomach and required surgery.

Sanford told police that he grabbed the knife after a verbal altercation with a person who was being a “bully boy.” He claimed that people then kept bumping into him, so he became angry and threatened them with the knife.

He said he was unsure if he had stabbed anyone, but that the incident could’ve been “much worse,” as he was planning to buy a gun.

Sanford was arrested on four counts of battery with a deadly weapon and booked into Clark County Detention Center.

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