Charlottesville police detain armed attacker near the University of Virginia

The Charlottesville Police Department reported that officers arrested a "knife-wielding attacker" in the vicinity of the campus of the University of Virginia(UVA), after he stabbed a person, who was seriously injured and rushed to a nearby hospital. At the moment, authorities remain at the scene of the crime and have not released any details about the identity of the attacker or the victim.

The arrest came an hour after the UVA Police Division posted a warning to students and university staff about an "active attacker" on its X account. The account even urged them to hide, run or fight if necessary, adding that the suspect was seen in front of Alumni Hall, in the area of 100 Emmet St. The suspect was described as a middle-aged white male, dressed in blue sweatpants, white shoes and white shirt.

Second incident in a week

In a statement, Charlottesville Police Department spokesman Kyle Ervin explained that the victim was stabbed on the sidewalk outside the Wesley United Methodist Church. While the spokesman indicated that the victim was critically injured and was currently fighting for his life, he did not specify where on his body he was stabbed or whether it was single or multiple stab wounds.

This is the second incident to take place this same week in the vicinity of the prestigious academic institution, with UVA ordering its students and university staff to take shelter due to an armed suspect who was on the run. Last Tuesday, the Virginia State Police (VSP) issued in an official statement that the suspect had evaded a traffic stop and even collided with civilian and VSP vehicles during his escape attempt.