Suspect shot by police after going on knife attack at Toyota car dealership
A man pulled out a knife and began to attack employees at the Brian Bemis Toyota dealership in DeKalb
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A man has been shot by police after carrying out a knife attack at a Toyota car dealership in DeKalb, Illinois.
The suspect, who has not been publicly identified, entered the Brian Bemis Toyota site at around midday on Wednesday and initially acted as though he was looking at vehicles, according to DeKalb Police.
Suddenly, the man pulled out a knife and began to attack employees, stabbing one worker, police said.
In a 911 call, obtained by CBS News, an employee is heard describing the attacker as a “white male, ponytail, black cloak, and he has two large knives.”
“Sounds like he just stabbed the manager in the hand and he’s breaking stuff inside,” the caller says.
Officers responded to the scene and confronted the suspect. When he refused to drop the knife, the officers opened fire, police said.
Officers administered first aid to the suspect at the scene before he was airlifted to hospital for treatment. Police said he remains in a stable condition and is expected to survive.
The employee who was stabbed was treated at the scene for a non-life-threatening injury, police said.
The motive for the attack is unclear.
A local woman told ABC7 Chicago that her daughter works at the DeKalb car dealership and had spoken to the suspect minutes before the attack.
“Some of the things he was saying were just odd, stuff about knowing stars and talking about some mental illness items that didn’t make her feel comfortable,” said Tiffany Wells.
Illinois State Police has now launched an independent investigation into the police shooting.
The incident marked the second police shooting that day in DeKalb, coming hours after officers shot a driver dead during an apparent hostage situation along a country road, reported CBS News.
The Independent has contacted the DeKalb Police Department for further comment.