An elder Buddhist monk at a Cambodian monastery in Oakland was violently stabbed by a fellow monk on Tuesday night. His attacker used two butcher knives to carry out the gruesome act.
“He was attacking him with two butcher knives, just chopping him up,” Monk Chundoeun Phin told the local CBS News affiliate in San Francisco. He discovered the attack and stopped it, which led to the attacker fleeing the scene.
The victim, 66, was the head of The Branch of International Community of Khmer Buddhist Monks Center on Douglas Avenue in Oakland and had lived at monastery for 10 years. He was immediately taken to the hospital after the attack near the location of the site and is listed in critical but stable condition.
His attacker, 30, had been living there for just over a year, according to the San Jose Mercury News. A motive for the attack remains unknown and authorities have reportedly not released the names of the victim or his attacker. Monk Chundoeun Phin told CBS that he thought the attacker had become “a whole changed person” but that something “snapped.”
The attack comes as a shock when considering monks tend to take vows of peace and are generally viewed as non-violent and opposed to extreme antics.
According to the Mercury News, the suspect fled on foot. Authorities are offering a $5,000 for information leading to the suspect’s arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 510-238-3426 or Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572.
Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter @AdelleNaz and on Facebook.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.