Watch CBS News

Man Attacks Arcadia Store Employees With Samurai Sword, Police Say

ARCADIA (CBSLA.com) — A 24-year-old Altadena man was in custody after police said he walked into an Arcadia karate dojo Friday night, took a sheathed samurai sword from a display and attacked several employees.

Prior to the attack, the man was reported to have entered a business in the 100 block of East Huntington Drive at 7:50 p.m. Friday and punched a store employee, said Arcadia police Lt. Vaughn Whalen.

The suspect, identified by police as Richard Sanchez, then walked into the dojo, which is located in the same block, and armed himself with a sheathed samurai sword from a display, Whalen said.

Sanchez hit three employees in the dojo with the sheathed sword then removed the sheath and swung the sword at the employees, Whalen said.

Sanchez fled into a rear ally where the employees and a couple of bystanders held him down until officers arrived and took him into custody, Whalen said.

There was no word of any serious injuries.

(©2017 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.