Serial stabber tied to attacks in North Sacramento

A serial stabber has attacked at least four people at random on North Sacramento streets over the past six weeks, according to Sacramento police.

In each of the daylight stabbings, the attacker was on a bicycle when he approached a person walking on or near Del Paso Boulevard in the city's Old North Sacramento neighborhood, police said.

The assailant said nothing to any of his victims and did not try to rob them before stabbing them once in the upper body, police said.

None of the victims has been severely injured, but all have received medical attention, police said.

Police have beefed up their patrols in the neighborhood and are warning pedestrians "to be extremely alert of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity," said Sacramento Police Sgt. Matt Young.

"He's hitting people when they least expect it," Young said.

Three women and one man have been stabbed in the series, Young said. In one of the attacks, a young woman was stabbed while pushing her young son in a stroller along Del Paso Boulevard.

"It's pure speculation as to what this guy's motive is," Young said. "The demographics of the victims is so varied that it appears he is just picking people at random."

The first attack occurred near Del Paso Boulevard and Arden Way at 5 p.m. on March 30, police said. That was followed by another stabbing on April 22 at Del Paso and El Camino Avenue at 12:30 p.m.

The third attack came on April 29 at about 7 p.m. near 2021 Del Paso Blvd., when the young mother was stabbed, according to police.

Kelly Brinson, a waitress at Sammy's Restaurant, said she saw the woman crying outside the eatery and yelling, "I've been hit! I've been hit!"

"She was kind of freaking out," Brinson said.

The woman did not realize she had been stabbed until she felt blood on her back, Brinson said. The waitress said she found a one-inch wound on the woman's back, called 911 and placed a bandage on the cut.

The victim said she was coming from a nearby postnatal class when she was stabbed, Brinson said.

"I would like to see this person get caught because it's so random and it's like, who's next?" Brinson said.

Police said the attacker struck again 11 days later when someone was stabbed at 5:38 p.m. Saturday at Plaza Avenue and Rio Linda Boulevard.

Officers have received a wide range of descriptions of the attacker, his bike and even his weapon. Young said that in some of the attacks, "before the victim even knew they had been assaulted, (the assailant) was already riding away with his back to them or was out of sight."

The stabber was described as a Latino male between the ages of 22 and 29. He stands between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds.

He has a light brown complexion, a medium build, short black hair and brown eyes, police said.

Witnesses told police the assailant's bike is a red, gray or tan 10-speed or mountain bike.

The knife he used was 6 inches long and possibly had a black handle. It has also been described as a Swiss Army knife.

Young said investigators are confident someone knows the attacker and urged that person to come forward.

"This is a situation where there is a guy targeting innocent people walking down the street," he said. "It's imperative that if you know anything about this guy to come forward."

This attacker is not the first to target pedestrians in Sacramento.

Richard A. Jiron pleaded guilty in 2004 to a series of random attacks on women in downtown and midtown. According to police, Jiron was behind more than 20 attacks in which he rode his bicycle past women and punched them, usually in the head or face.

Those attacks also occurred in daylight.

Jiron was sentenced to nearly 15 years in prison, court records show.

Anyone with information on the most recent attacks is urged to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

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