A 27-year-old man was behind bars Monday on suspicion of using scissors to stab a 63-year-old man at least 16 times during an apparently unprovoked attack at a Hillcrest bus stop, police said.
The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment, and the wounds were not believed to be life-threatening, San Diego police Officer John Buttle said.
The stabbing happened shortly before 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the bus stop near the intersection of Washington Street and First Avenue, Buttle said.
The two men were sitting at the bus bench when the younger man stood up and began punching the victim for unknown reasons, Buttle said. The assailant then pulled out a pair of scissors and stabbed the victim multiple times.
After the initial attack, the scissor-wielding man walked about 10 feet away, then saw the victim was still moving and ran back to stab him several more times, Buttle said.
The suspect, later identified as 27-year-old Michael Brian Bell, was taken into custody after a sheriff's helicopter spotted him a few blocks away, officer Scott Lockwood said.
Bell was booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of attempted murder, according to jail records. He was being held without bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Feb. 19.
