PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh man is facing multiple felony charges, including attempted homicide, after police said he blitzed a 12-year-old boy at a downtown McDonald’s restaurant, stabbing the child in the neck.
The boy’s condition was upgraded Sunday from critical to stable, WPXI reported.
Charles Edward Turner, 51, was arrested shortly after the attack and charged with attempted homicide, four counts of aggravated assault, two counts of simple assault and resisting arrest, the TV station reported.
The unprovoked attack occurred just after 2 p.m. Saturday at the Liberty Avenue location, PennLive.com reported.
According to police, a family of four was standing in line when a man tackled the child from behind and stabbed him in the neck, prompting family members to restrain Turner. At least one family member told authorities that Turner bit him hard enough to cause bleeding as they struggled before first responders arrived, WPXI reported.
A criminal complaint states that there is no indication that the suspect knew the victim and that Turner was seen pacing outside following the incident – yelling racial slurs – before re-entering the restaurant.
When the boy’s family members attempted to question Turner, he reportedly told them that “he only wanted to finish his coffee and then leave the restaurant,” WPXI reported.
According to the TV station, Turner punched and kicked officers during his arrest, and investigators recovered a box cutter at the scene.
Cox Media Group
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/ATOUJJD3VZETBCHI7YB5JRHIQI.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/SWUQI5N43VEUDJGZJFN4K7XFR4.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/IOI4WM5BD5EHLGQQQ2HPLJM56M.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/OLET6EVE6H4MDLZ46QWKV3E3OI.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/Z62E5ALY56W4GF3XB27AFAWJS4.jpg)