LAS VEGAS (AP) 鈥 An attacker with a large kitchen knife killed two people and wounded six others in stabbings along the Las Vegas Strip before he was 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 a.m. across the street from the Wynn casino and hotel.
Yoni Barrios, 32, was booked on two counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder late Thursday, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Barrios, who is not a Las Vegas resident, was detained by Sands security guards and Metropolitan Police Department officers while running on a Strip sidewalk, police said.
鈥淭his was an isolated incident,鈥 Metro Police Deputy Chief James LaRochelle said in a statement. 鈥淎ll evidence indicates Barrios acted alone and there are no outstanding suspects at this time.鈥
Police said they were continuing to investigate the motive but do not believe there was an altercation before the attacks.
The Clark County coroner鈥檚 office identified the victims who were killed as Brent Allan Hallett, 47, and Maris Mareen Digiovanni, 30, both Las Vegas residents, the Review-Journal reported.
The names of those wounded in the attack were not immediately released.
The initial stabbing was unprovoked and on the eastern sidewalk of Las Vegas Boulevard. The suspect then headed south and stabbed others, LaRochelle said.
The man fled and was followed by 911 callers before he was taken into custody, authorities said. Police recovered the 鈥渓arge knife with a long blade鈥 believed to have been used, LaRochelle said, calling the case a 鈥渉ard-to-comprehend murder investigation.鈥
There were no other suspects in the case and 鈥渢he Strip is secure,鈥 Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said.
鈥淟ocals and tourists are the victims of this crime,鈥 Lombardo said.
Witnesses told Las Vegas TV stations that 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鈥檚 offer, the woman told KTNV.
Jason Adams told KLAS that he witnessed the attack on a showgirl.
鈥淭his guy came, ran up, and started stabbing this lady in front of me and she ran around the escalators and she tried to get up under the bridge and her girlfriend was trying to help her,鈥 Adams said, adding that the attack happened very quickly.
Pierre Fandrich, a tourist from Canada, told KTNV that he did not see the stabbing suspect as he was walking along the Strip. But he said he thought he heard 鈥渢hree or four showgirls laughing,鈥 and it turned out to be screaming.
Fandrich said he saw 鈥渁 lot of blood鈥 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.
Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak posted a message on social media saying, 鈥淥ur hearts are with all those affected by this tragedy.鈥
鈥淎t the State level, we will continue to work with partners in law enforcement to make resources available on the ground and ensure the Las Vegas Strip remains a safe and welcoming place for all to visit,鈥 Sisolak said.
