A 17-year-old was stabbed in the chest at the Ithaca Walmart on Thursday afternoon, and an Ithaca man was charged with attempted murder, police said.
The Ithaca Police Department said officers responded to the store at 135 Fairgrounds Memorial Parkway at about 1:19 p.m. Thursday.
Firefighters and Bangs Ambulance treated the teen at the scene before the teen was taken to a regional trauma center.
Additional officers found the suspect fleeing the area and took him into custody without incident, according to the department. Police said they recovered the weapon used in the stabbing.
Police identified the suspect as Samuel Rodriguez, 18, and said their preliminary investigation found that he and the victim knew each other. The department described the stabbing as not random.
Rodriguez was charged with second-degree attempted murder, a class B felony, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a class A misdemeanor. Police said he was awaiting an initial appearance in Ithaca City Court.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information can call police dispatch at 607-272-3245, police administration at 607-272-9973 or the tip line at 607-330-0000. Anonymous tips can be submitted at www.cityofithaca.org/ipdtips.
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