A pair of November 2022 Stabbing at downtown Los Angeles store That has prompted a 9-year-old boy and a 25-year-old woman to hospitalize the lawsuit against the store.
The unprovoked stabbing occurred when a homeless man entered the store and grabbed a 9-inch “butcher-style knife,” off a store shelf, and proceeded to randomly pick off his two stabbing victims. Amidst the hysteria and chaos, a security guard shoots and kills the suspect. Both victims have filed two separate lawsuits against the corporation.
In addition to Target, the lawsuit also lists Brookfield Properties and Watermark Security Group, Inc. as defendants. The suit says the property was not properly secured against such threats, security did not act quickly enough and Target’s knives were on display.
“Despite knowing that DTLA was seeing an increase in crime and homelessness, in part, with the goal of hiring an armed security guard to keep the store safe, on the evening of November 15, 2022, a deranged homeless man freely entered the store, easily pulling a 9-inch blade from a shelf. A butcher grabbed a knife and proceeded to brutally attack not just one, but two customers before being belatedly shot by a security guard,” the lawsuit states.
Brayden Medina, a 9-year-old boy, was stabbed in the shoulder. He was in the store with his mother but got separated from her before the stabbing. Good Samaritans came to Medina’s aid, applying pressure to his wounds.
The other stabbing victim was 25-year-old Joo Hye Song. According to LAPD Chief Michelle Moore, she was “brutally” stabbed in the chest.
Good Samaritans pulled the female victim into a pharmacy and closed the gate to protect them against the suspect.
“Plaintiff Brayden suffered grievously and Life-changing injury when he was stabbed multiple times at the target,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit also states that after the incident, Target now locks its knives behind a display case, “a safety measure that should have been in place before this tragedy occurred,” the lawsuit states.
Asked for a comment, a Target spokesperson said the company does not discuss pending litigation and referred to previous comments to KCAL News made a week after the attack:
“A man assaulted two guests at our 7th and Figueroa store in Los Angeles. We can confirm that a third-party security guard intervened to stop the attack and the Los Angeles Police Department was quick to respond to the situation. Safety is our top priority. And our hearts go out to the injured guests. We are grateful for the assistance provided by the Los Angeles Police Department and others, and we are focused on supporting our team in the wake of the incident. We will refer additional questions to law enforcement.”
KCAL-News Staff
