Stabbing injures woman outside Wal-Mart

Heather Rawlyk

Friday, Oct. 29, 2004 | 11:05 a.m.

A woman was stabbed in the neck in the parking lot of a southeast Las Vegas Wal-Mart Thursday night in a seemingly random attack, Metro Police said.

She was in critical condition Thursday night after the 8:30 p.m. stabbing at Wal-Mart at Tropicana Avenue and Mojave Road.

Lt. Dave Cavalieri said the woman and a friend were leaving the store when a man who was sitting on a bench in front of the store stood up and started following them.

Witnesses told police the man followed the two women to the back of their parked car and then "just went up to them and stabbed one of the women in the neck," Cavalieri said.

The man then "zigzagged" through the parking lot and tried to get away, police said. A security guard saw what happened and chased the man through the parking lot, eventually catching up with him and taking him into custody.

The alleged attacker's name, age, hometown and charges were not available from police Thursday night.

The victim was taken to University Medical Center's Trauma Center to be treated for life-threatening injuries, police said.

Her friend told police that she did not know the man and that nothing was taken from either of them.

"At this point, it just looks completely random," Cavalieri said.

Late-night shoppers crowded the parking lot of the 24-hour Wal-Mart at about 10 p.m. asking police if it was safe to shop.

"It's just so scary that you can get killed on your way to your car for nothing," said 23-year-old Amy Waite. "It's late and dark, but there are always so many people here all the time -- you feel safer. This wakes you up. It's not safe."

Another Wal-Mart parking lot, on Rainbow Boulevard near Cheyenne Avenue, was the scene of an attempted murder and suicide about 3:30 a.m. Thursday. In that case a woman's ex-husband had been stalking her and started shooting at her when she came out of the store, then he took his own life, police said. The woman was wounded but survived.

The name of the dead man could not be obtained from the Clark County coroner's office today because that office, like all other state and county government offices, was closed in observance of Nevada Day.