LAKE STEVENS — A Lake Stevens woman pepper sprayed and stabbed her brother-in-law with a pocket knife in an unprovoked attack last month, prosecutors allege in new charges filed in Snohomish County Superior Court.
On Sept. 19, the brother-in-law was working in his home office in the 1400 block of 90th Drive SE in Lake Stevens when the woman, 32, knocked on the door, according to the charges. He opened the door and she immediately pepper sprayed him.
The man tried to push her away. He thought she was punching him, but realized she was stabbing him, according to court papers. A former rugby player, the man got into a rugby-style squatting position to push the woman away.
The man reportedly screamed for help. Other family members came to his aid.
One relative saw the woman had a knife in her hand and tried to subdue her. As he tried to get the knife out of her hand, he was sliced on his palm, according to court documents.
The relative was eventually able to get the knife away from her and pin her down until police arrived, the charges say. When officers arrived, they found an open pocket knife with a 4-inch blade and pepper spray nearby. The blade appeared to be covered with dried blood.
The brother-in-law was taken to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. His condition was unclear, deputy prosecutor Rebecca Mara Vasquez wrote in the charges. But he was well enough for detectives to interview him the day of the stabbing. Police observed four stab wounds on the man’s body, ranging in size from three-quarters of an inch to 1½ inches wide. One wound was at the base of his throat. Two others were on both sides of his right shoulder. The fourth was on his back.
In the interview, he noted he didn’t interact much with his sister-in-law and didn’t indicate any motive for the alleged attack.
The suspect has remained in the Snohomish County Jail since the alleged stabbing with bail set at $30,000. She has no criminal history, court records show.
On Friday, prosecutors charged her with first-degree assault domestic violence.
According to the charges, the woman reportedly suffers from mental illness, with symptoms including paranoia.
A hearing to help determine her capacity to stand trial is set for January.
Jake Goldstein-Street: 425-339-3439; jake.goldstein-street@heraldnet.com; X: @GoldsteinStreet.
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