Ashkan Amirsoleymani: Encino Hospital Stabbing Suspect

Ashkan Amirsoleymani is the knife-wielding man accused in a mass stabbing inside a hospital in Encino, California.

He was named by police in a statement on Twitter. “35 year old Ashkan Amirsoleymani (Booking Number 6391681) has been identified as the suspect involved in yesterday’s stabbing incident at Encino Hospital. He was booked for 3 counts of Attempted Murder, and his bail has been set at 3 million dollars,” the Los Angeles Police Department wrote.

According to KTLA-TV, Amirsoleymani stabbed a doctor and two nurses. All survived.

The attack occurred on June 3, 2022, at Encino Hospital Medical Center in the San Fernando Valley.

Here’s what you need to know:

Three Hospital Employees Were Stabbed, Police Say

Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said in a news conference on June 3, 2022, that police received a call of a possible traffic collision. They did not find that one had occurred but learned a person possibly involved in it had entered the hospital.

Police determined there were no police matters needing attending at that time. Hamilton said police are trying to locate the person who made that call.

A short time later, an assault with a deadly weapon call came in. Three individuals who were employees of the hospital were injured by the suspect, who was wielding a knife, Hamilton said, adding that the suspect “walked into the hospital.”

“He was armed with a knife,” Hamilton said and was “attempting to seek treatment.” The New York Post reported that the suspect was seeking treatment for anxiety.

A standoff resulted, but the suspect was arrested later in the day. One victim was in critical condition; two were stable condition.

The Suspect Has a History of Battery to a Police Officer

The suspect has had multiple contacts with police, including two previous cases resulting in use of force, Hamilton said.

He was previously accused of battery on a police officer and resisting arrest. His last contact with the Los Angeles Police Department was last year and resulted in him being detained.

He has a lengthy record of contacting officers in Los Angeles and the San Fernando valley. He also has other past arrests, Hamilton said. He said there is no indication that he had any previous relationship with any of the victims.

A Witness Described the Scene at the Hospital as a ‘Bloodbath’

Witnesses described the scene inside the hospital.

“He looked high. He just looked very anxious. He was sweating a lot. Half his shirt was drenched with sweat. He had a dog with him,” Benjamin Roman told NBC Los Angeles.

A witness described to the Los Angeles Times how he saw a bloodied man wearing scrubs who told him he had been stabbed by a patient.

A male nurse had been stabbed badly, and his “guts were out,” the Times reported, adding that the witness described the scene as a “bloodbath.”

The suspect was described as a tall man wearing a blue flannel shirt to this witness. He was “calmly pacing around,” the witness told The Times. “It was definitely pretty creepy,” the witness told the newspaper, adding that the suspect had a small dog with him.

Police have not released a motive for the attack, but it comes on the heels of a mass shooting at a Tulsa medical enter, the mass shooting at a Texas elementary school, and a grocery store mass shooting in Buffalo, New York.

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