EVERETT — A Lynnwood man with mental health issues told detectives he was “fighting the devil” Tuesday night when he allegedly stabbed his mother and brother with a butcher knife
His mother, 66, suffered four stab wounds to the back and was being treated in the intensive care unit at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Wednesday.
The suspect’s brother, 31, also was stabbed in the back and taken to Harborview. Both victims had slashes to their hands consistent with defensive wounds, according to a Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office report.
Deputies were called to the apartment in the 15900 block of Ash Way shortly after 11:30 p.m. A neighbor reported hearing screams.
The suspect’s brother told deputies that he was attempting to take him to the hospital for a mental health evaluation. He said his brother kept calling him the devil during the assault.
Their mother was injured when she tried to intervene.
The suspect, 28, offered no resistance when deputies called out to him in the fifth-floor apartment. He was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of two counts of felony domestic violence assault.
The man told the detectives he was “fighting the devil” and nothing else, the sheriff’s report said.
Deputies had previous contact with the suspect. On Oct. 30, they were called to the same apartment because the man allegedly was yelling. They felt he posed a threat to himself and others. He refused help and fought efforts to take him into custody for an involuntary mental health evaluation.
The man allegedly became violent and assaulted a deputy. During the struggle, the suspect allegedly grabbed the deputy’s electronic stun gun from his duty belt. While he was being subdued, he reportedly struck a deputy in the face. He was taken to a hospital emergency room for a mental health evaluation.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com
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