Seattle police arrest man in connection with five stabbings

A man was arrested in connection to stabbings that injured five people Friday in Seattle, according to local authorities.

Police did not release the suspect’s identity, saying only that he was 30 to 40 years old.

On Thursday, five other people were injured in stabbings in the same area, central Seattle’s Chinatown-International District. All 10 appeared to be random attacks, police said.

Eric Barden, deputy chief of the Seattle Police Department, said at a news conference Friday that there was a “plausible” link between the two episodes. “The arbitrary nature of these assaults makes it likely that these are similar,” he added.

The 10 victims had injuries ranging from minor cuts to severe stab wounds, police said. The Friday stabbings took place in the Little Saigon and Chinatown areas of the Chinatown-International District, Barden said.

The office of Tammy J. Morales, a City Council member who represents the neighborhood where the stabbings took place, said Friday that she believed “almost all, if not all, of the victims were homeless.”

Barden said one of the stabbings was a robbery in which the victim’s cellphone was stolen, while the others did not appear to be.

The attacks took place in a heavily Asian American area. Sgt. Patrick Michaud, a spokesperson for the Seattle Police Department, said Friday that that probably was not a factor because the victims had varied racial backgrounds.

Michaud said the housing status and mental state of the man in custody was not known.

On Thursday, police arrested another man, who was armed with a knife and who had an outstanding felony warrant for possession of a stolen vehicle. Police said they are investigating whether he was connected to any of the 10 stabbings.