An attacker with a large kitchen knife killed two people and wounded six others in stabbings along the Las Vegas Strip before being arrested Thursday, police said.
Three people were hospitalized in critical condition and another three were in stable condition, according to Las Vegas police who said they began receiving 911 calls about the stabbings around 11:40 am on the north end of the Strip.
Police didn't immediately release any information on the suspect or a possible motive.
Witnesses told Las Vegas TV stations that the attacker struck in multiple locations, and some of the victims appeared to be showgirls or street performers who take pictures with tourists on the Strip.
The suspect told a woman that he was a chef who wanted to take a picture with some of the showgirls with his knife, but he started stabbing people when the group declined the man's offer, the woman told KTNV.
Pierre Fandrich told KTNV that he did not see the stabbing suspect as he was walking along the Strip. But he said he thought he heard "three or four showgirls laughing," and it turned out to be screaming.
Fandrich said he saw "a lot of blood" as one woman ran across a bridge, one was on the ground, and another had a stab wound on her back as she tried to help the fallen woman.
Fandrich also told KTNV that he thought one of the victims fell from the bridge because there was so much blood on the ground.
