Man who stabbed 3 and lit fire told police ‘killing is the best medicine,’ records say
A man accused of stabbing three people and lighting a homeless encampment on fire in Tacoma told police he was trying to “put things back in order,” court records say.
The 23-year-old transient pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two counts of first-degree assault, one count of second-degree assault and one count of first-degree arson.
Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Craig Adams ordered him held on $150,000 bail.
Two of the victims are is critical condition. Officials said one is expected to survive, but the other’s improvement is unknown.
After his arrest, the suspect said “I think killing is the best medicine,” prosecutors wrote in charging papers.
Charging papers give this account:
All three attacks took place in less than three hours Tuesday.
Police were first called to the Tacoma Rescue Mission about 2:15 a.m. after a 27-year-old victim ran there for help.
He said he’d gotten into an argument near South 25th Street and Pacific Avenue and been stabbing with a folding knife.
The victim, who suffered a cut to the chest, gave officers a description of the suspect but refused to talk about why they argued.
About two hours later, police were called to another stabbing at South 25th Street and Pacific Avenue and found a 42-year-old victim slumped over a rock suffering from three stab wounds to the back.
While searching the area for clues, a Sound Transit employee notified officers there was a large amount of blood at a nearby transit shelter.
They then spotted a fire at a homeless camp in the 200 block of East 25th Street, below a state Route 705 overpass.
Witnesses there said they’d seen two men fighting before one walked away and the other stayed behind to light the fire.
A chopping knife was found in nearby bushes.
That victim suffered life-threatening injuries.
At 4:50 a.m., police were called to an assault in progress and found the suspect crouched over a 64-year-old man hitting him with a metal object.
When officers arrived, the suspect put down his weapon and stood with his hands behind his back.
He was taken into custody and told police he was high on methamphetamine.
The third victim, who had his throat cut and sustained scalp lacerations, was listed in critical condition but is expected to survive.
The suspect claimed he stabbed the first victim over an argument about a lighter, started the fire so the second victim couldn’t “have his stuff” after walking away from the confrontation and assaulted the third victim because he believed the other man was going to hit him with a club, records say.
This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 9:34 AM.
