Los Angeles Woman, 9-Year-Old Boy in Critical Condition After Target Store Stabbing Incident; Suspect Shot

A Los Angeles woman and a boy are in critical condition following a Target store stabbing incident. According to KSBW, a security guard shot the suspect inside the store during Tuesday night's assaults.

Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said: "It's a troubling night with Los Angeles here... to see this type of violence in our city."

Los Angeles Target Store Stabbing Incident

The stabbing incident happened before 6:30 p.m. inside the Target store on 7th Street and Figueroa Street. It is a sizable, open-air shopping center with multiple levels in the city's Financial District.

Moore told reporters that the 40-year-old suspect entered the store, grabbed a sizeable butcher-style knife from a shelf, and confronted the 9-year-old boy, telling him multiple times that he was going to kill him.

According to Police1, when the kid tried to run away, the suspect attacked him from behind and cut his shoulder. Moore claimed that the suspect went to a different area of the store and then attacked the 25-year-old Asian woman. He stabbed her in the chest.

The drugstore manager said some customers brought the woman inside and locked the door behind them. According to Moore, the attacker, who appeared to be a homeless man, was shot by the security guard who was trying to subdue him with a baton.

The suspect's name was not immediately released. Kevin Zaragoza, who was shopping at the Target store with his brother, told KABC that they suddenly heard yelling.

"We rushed to the front. Right there by the exit we see a girl on the floor, blood all over her," he noted. "After that, we see the whole LAPD swarming in there with shotguns, all types of stuff. It was crazy," he added.

Authorities said the victims did not know the culprit. Moore noted that another person was hurt in the "stampede" as people tried to leave the store. He added that LAPD officers were able to respond quickly since they were already in the shopping mall for another service call.

Los Angeles Target Store Statement

A Target representative released a statement on Wednesday regarding the incident. The store confirmed that a homeless man attacked many customers at their 7th & Figueroa location in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, CBS News reported.

It also confirmed that a third-party security officer stopped the attack and that the Los Angeles Police Department responded promptly to the scene. The store noted that everyone's safety is their priority, and it sincerely apologize to wounded visitors.

"We're grateful for the aid provided by the Los Angeles Police Department and others, and we're focusing on supporting our team in the wake of the incident. We'd refer additional questions to law enforcement," the store added.

Moore said the woman "has now entered into surgery" to stop the bleeding from deep stab wound to the front of her chest, while the child sustained some potential neurological damage, so he continued to be listed as critical.

He noted that the suspect was declared dead at the hospital. Moore said this was an unprovoked attack.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Homeless Man Accused of Stabbing Child, Another Person at Downtown LA Target Store - From FOX 11 Los Angeles