A man who was stabbed while he was seated in his wheelchair is speaking out about the daylight attack that was captured on surveillance footage in Bellflower as the assailant remains on the loose.
Michael Olson, who was born without limbs, uses an electric wheelchair to get around. He said he was traveling down Artesia Boulevard last month when the attack happened.
“I was completely caught off guard,” Olson told NBC4.
Video shows Olson traveling on the sidewalk and passing the assailant, who lets him by then chases after him and stabs him.
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“After I passed, about 20 seconds later, I felt a sharp pain in my back,” Olson recalled. “He stumbled over in front of me and said, ‘Sorry, bro.’ After a 10-second pause, he stabbed me in the stomach.”
In shock, Olson returned home immediately. He said he began to search for witnesses after his wounds healed and so far, was only able to find the surveillance footage captured by his neighbor’s camera.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said it’s investigating the face as a double felony, including as an assault with a deadly weapon.
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“The danger that this suspect poses to the community is very high,” sheriff’s deputy Miguel Meza said. “If this person, at 8 a.m., is willing to commit this crime, he’s willing to do anything else to anyone else.”
The search for the attacker continues.
