A man was arrested after assaulting two women, stabbing one in the head with a scissors and hurling a jar full of pickles at another, in two unprovoked attacks in North Hollywood, the Los Angeles Police Department said Friday.
The stabbing early Monday afternoon on Lankershim Boulevard near Hatteras Street left the scissors embedded in the 22-year-old victim's head, but she entered a nearby restaurant, asked for help, then collapsed on the floor, police said.
"The crime occurred in broad daylight in an area with a high volume of pedestrian traffic," police said in a statement, adding that there is security camera video of the crime. "Cole is not known to the victim, and the crime appeared random and completely unprovoked"
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She was recovering Friday at a hospital.
After the stabbing, the attacker continued walking north and approached a couple waiting at a bus stop, police said. He asked them for a cigarette light, and when the woman said "No" he threw a full jar of pickles at her, striking her in the shoulder, according to the LAPD's statement.
The man waiting at the bus stop chased the attacker to the front of a grocery store, where he was detained by security guards until police arrived and took him in to custody.
The suspect was identified as 30-year-old Jonathan Cole, who police said is homeless. He was booked on suspicion of attempted murder, and was being held on $3 million bail.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office, which filed one count of attempted murder and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon against Cole, police said.
Anyone with information on the case was urged to call detectives at 818-754-8451, or 877-LAPD-247. Tipsters may also call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS or click here.
