Four people have been injured in a machete attack at an Israeli owned restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. The attacker was shot and killed.
The attack happened at Nazareth Restaurant & Deli, a middle-eastern restaurant owned by an Israeli Arab Christian. The attacker is reported to have spoken to an employee at the eatery around 30 minutes earlier before returning armed with a machete.
Four people were injured injured in the attack. One who was in critical condition underwent surgery and is said to be ‘stable’.
4 people seriously injured in machete attack at popular NE Columbus restaurant https://t.co/B5e1V00EW8 pic.twitter.com/fj3279XW5G
— WSYX ABC 6 (@wsyx6) February 12, 2016
Two people described the scene as “carnage” saying it seemed like a “systematic attack.”
Karen Basssaid who was inside at the time said, “He came through the front door and then started just systematically hitting people. I thought it was a personal thing, and then he just started down the row hitting everybody.”
Patrons apparently tried to stop the attacker, with one man grappling with him while others threw chairs and other items at him. This was enough to fend him off and he fled the scene by car.
Officers arrived at the scene and took witness accounts of the car. Another officer nearby located the suspects car leading to a short police chase before the suspect was forced off the road.
The suspect then exited the vehicle and an officer tasered him to stop him, but it was ineffective. They say the suspect was shot multiple times when he lunged at one of the officers.
Columbus police say there is nothing at this point to indicate it’s anything other than a random attack, but that they are working with “federal partners”. They say they have identified the suspect, but have not yet released his name.
CUFI Note: While there has been no official announcement as to the reason, there are reports that the suspect asked the nationality of the restaurant owner before the attack happened we will update as information is given. Please pray for the victims.
