A knife-wielding man was shot dead by a Sacramento County sheriff’s deputy on Wednesday morning after he allegedly stabbed a mother and her daughter in a seemingly random attack in the Foothill Farms area.
According to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the chaos began just after 6:30 a.m. at a coffee shop near Diablo Drive and Elkhorn Boulevard, where the suspect, carrying what workers believed was a kitchen knife, allegedly began threatening people inside. Staff scrambled into a back room and shoved a refrigerator against the door to keep him from forcing his way in. The man fled the scene before deputies could arrive.
Minutes later, a deputy patrolling nearby spotted someone matching the suspect’s description walking along Diablo Drive. Officials say the man bolted across the street and slipped into an open garage at a nearby home. Once inside, he allegedly turned on a 63-year-old woman who was getting into her car, stabbing her multiple times.
Hearing her mother’s screams, the woman’s 26-year-old daughter rushed outside and found the attacker on top of her. She reportedly shoved him off, likely stopping the assault from turning fatal — but the man then allegedly turned his knife on her instead, stabbing her repeatedly as well.
A deputy arrived at the driveway while the attack on the daughter was still underway and opened fire, killing the suspect on the spot, officials said. Additional deputies rushed in to begin emergency first aid on both victims.
Both women were rushed to a hospital with multiple stab wounds; authorities describe their condition as serious but stable.
Investigators say there is no known link between the attacker and either victim, and they believe the assault was completely random. A sheriff’s office spokesperson said the man appeared to strike simply because he came across an unlocked garage and an available target.
The suspect has not been identified. He was not carrying identification, and while some early reports suggested he may have been homeless, authorities have not confirmed this detail.
Officials also clarified that, contrary to some assumptions, the suspect was not already wanted for attempted murder before this incident — he became a suspect only after allegedly committing this attack.
Neighbors in the area said the incident has left them shaken, with several noting they, too, often leave their garage doors open and could just as easily have been targeted.
The Sheriff’s Office has not disclosed how many rounds the deputy fired. No deputies were hurt in the incident. The investigation remains ongoing.