Police have identified the suspect accused of stabbing two people inside a Macy’s at the Mall of America Sunday night.
Officials took Mahad Abdiaziz Abdirahaman, 20, of Minneapolis into custody and charged him with two counts of first-degree assault, CBS Minnesota reports.
Abdirahaman allegedly tried to steal a customer’s belongings from a men’s fitting room at the Minnesota mall while the customer had been trying on clothes outside the fitting room.
The customer reportedly noticed Abdirahaman attempting to swipe his things. Then the would-be thief brandished a knife and stabbed him around 6:45 p.m., authorities say.
After the victim let out a scream, his family rushed to help him while the suspect allegedly stabbed a second person.
One victim reportedly suffered knife wounds to his back while the other suffered multiple stab wounds, but authorities say their injuries were not life-threatening.
Witnesses in the store say they saw the suspect behaving erratically before the attack. Nearby shoppers panicked as they were waiting in line with their kids to get their picture taken with Santa.
Authorities say the Macy’s store was put on lockdown during the incident, but the rest of the 520-store mall remained open and was not placed on lockdown.
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