Man Accused of Randomly Stabbing 8-year-old in Spokane Valley



SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) _ A man accused of wounding an 8-year-old boy in a random knife attack in Spokane Valley is being held on $5 million bond.

The Spokesman-Review reports that Bruce Landahl appeared in Spokane County Superior Court Monday on attempted murder and assault charges.

A sheriff's detective wrote in court documents that witnesses said Landahl walked up to the boy Saturday afternoon as he stood near his father inside a gas station.

Witnesses said Landahl hugged the boy, apologized to the father and allegedly stabbed the child. The father punched Landahl and helped hold him until deputies arrived.

The boy was treated and released from a local hospital.

According to court documents, Landahl reportedly told detectives he took 16 cough-medicine pills and ``felt possessed.''


It wasn't immediately clear who is representing Landahl. A call to the Spokane County public defender's office was not immediately returned Tuesday.