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Woman recovering in hospital after being stabbed inside Southeast DC restaurant
A 75-year-old woman is in the hospital recovering after she was attacked and stabbed, seemingly at random, by a man who then stole her car. According to police, 30-year-old James Minor was the attacker. He was arrested on Thursday and is being held in jail without bond.
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. - The 75-year-old woman who was brutally stabbed after going to a Temple Hills takeout restaurant last week told FOX 5 she had to undergo trachea surgery after suffering several stab wounds to the neck area.
Elda Perez Robinson says she has nearly 20 staples in her arm. Doctors were unable to stitch her up because the stab wounds to her arm were that bad.
"I just want to tell him, ‘how can he attack an elderly person, you know, that has had nothing to do with him, never met him, that has never done anything to harm him or anyone else? It’s just not fair," said Perez Robinson over the phone.
She told FOX 5 she is still in the hospital and hopes to be released on Tuesday.
Perez Robinson's doctors are still monitoring her to see if she can properly swallow.
The man arrested in connection with the brutal stabbing, 30-year-old James Minor of Clinton, Maryland, appeared virtually for a Prince George’s County District Court bond hearing on Monday.
He was ordered held without bond.
In that same hearing, Minor’s public defender did not argue for his release, did not share any of his history in court and did not ask for a mental health evaluation. The public defender also told the judge she spoke with her client, and she believes he is coherent and understands what’s happening.
The attorney told the court she did not think there were any competency issues.
Arrest made in stabbing of elderly woman in Prince George's County
Police in Prince George’s County police have arrested the man they say stabbed a woman in her 70s and drove off in her car in what appears to be a random attack. The department is expected to reveal more details about the suspect's charges on Friday morning.
A member of the Minor family explained that the competency portion was only pertaining to whether he could understand what was happening during that proceeding.
In a full statement sent to FOX 5, the Minor family wrote:
"The family of James Minor wants to express that we are extremely shocked and devastated as a result of his actions towards the victim and her family. We have prayed and are thankful for her continued recovery, as no one would ever want something like this to happen to their elderly grandparent or any loved one. We extend our sincere apologies to the victim, her family and the community at this difficult time. Even though there is no justification for his actions, James has a history of mental illness and has been seeking psychological/medical help for a long time to no avail. We believe the system failed James, his victim and all parties involved."
Court documents released Monday show it was the suspect’s family who was instrumental in getting the 30-year-old in police custody once they saw their loved one’s suspect photo in the news.
In fact, court documents accuse the suspect of taking his own brother’s car as his sibling spoke with a Prince George’s County investigator. He was later arrested with no incident after police say Minor's mother informed police he had returned to their Clinton home.
"I was just going to the store to pick up some Chinese food for my family," Perez Robinson recalled.
She told FOX 5 that she is the caretaker for her handicapped nephew and the nephew’s teenage son.
While she won’t be able to do the same due to the injuries she sustained in the attack, Perez Robinson said she will "do her best."
"There might not be a reason why. He might have just been high on drugs and didn’t even know what he was doing," she said. "It just means there’s a lot of drugged-up crazy people walking around, and you’re just going to have to watch out where we’re walking and what we’re doing."
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Surveillance video shows moments leading up to violent attack on elderly woman in Prince George's County
Prince George's County police shared surveillance video with FOX 5 of the moments leading up to a violent attack on an elder woman in a Prince George's County shopping center. They're asking anyone who can help them identify the man in the video to contact them, FOX 5's Nana-Sentuo Bonsu reports.
The attack happened on Nov. 1 around 8:15 at night.
Security video obtained exclusively by FOX 5 captured the suspect following Perez Robinson to Eddie Leonard’s Carry Out in Temple Hills.
The victim says Minor blocked a door, punched her in the face and then stabbed her multiple times before taking her car keys.
He apparently did not get very far in her vehicle.
Police have charged Minor with attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first and second-degree assault, motor vehicle taking, armed robbery rogue and vagabond as well as theft between $1,500 - $25,000.