Daily Herald | Posted: Friday, September 12, 2008 11:00 pm
A 28-year-old Boise man was stabbed by a stranger in the IHOP parking lot in Orem this morning.
According to Orem police, the 28-year-old man and his girlfriend were saying goodbye in the restaurant parking lot on University Parkway when a man approached them, said "I'm sorry" and stabbed the man with a pair of scissors. The victim was stabbed numerous times in the face, neck and arm.
An off-duty police officer from Chicago, who is in Utah to instruct law enforcement, was standing outside the front door at the restaurant, according to police. He saw the assault and went to break it up. He didn't realize that the suspect had a weapon until he got closer. He drew his gun and ordered the man to drop the scissors. Instead the suspect made another move to stab the victim. The officer shot him.
After the shot was fired, the victim got up and tried to get away, according to police. The officer told him and his girlfriend to wait because help was on the way. The suspect, who was not wounded seriously enough to keep him down, tried to get away. The officer caught him and waited for Orem police to arrive.
According to police, the suspect was "delusional and showing signs of probable psychological disorders."
The victim was taken to Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem, according to police. The suspect was taken to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo.