A Los Angeles community was left shaken after a neighborhood grandma was stabbed to death along with her dog in broad daylight in what one reporter called “one of the most horrific crime scenes” they had ever seen. Thankfully, the alleged attacker was reportedly stopped from harming others by a brave bystander.
Jeanne Edgar, a 66-year-old Los Angeles grandmother, was walking her dog Sashi near the busy Lone Hill Park in San Dimas on a Thursday afternoon when a man, who appeared to be in his 20’s, snatched the dog and began stabbing the beloved pet in broad daylight. Sadly, things only got worse from there as the attacker turned his attention to Jeanne and stabbed her to death as well.
According to witnesses, the alleged attacker was yelling that he was going to kill someone and first went after a man in his 30s. The man ran away from the suspect, who then turned his attention to Jeanne and her dog. “The suspect grabbed the female victim’s dog by the leash and yanked it free of her grasp,” authorities said, according to Fox News. “The suspect then stabbed the dog and then the female victim.”
The man, who successfully fled from the suspect earlier and had retreated to his car for his own safety, spotted the attack on Jeanne and her dog, and he bravely decided to intervene. His father-in-law relayed what happened to reporters. “From what I gathered from my son-in-law, Joe, he actually came after him, first with the knife,” Tony Page said. “My son-in-law was able to get to his vehicle safely.”
After picking up a rock, the man, only identified as “Joe,” chucked the rock at the suspect’s face, knocking him unconscious. “He, at that point, got out of his vehicle, found a rock, threw the rock, hit the suspect in the face, knocked him out, and right shortly after that the authorities arrived,” a witness recalled, according to CBS Los Angeles.
Page described a similar chain of events. “At that point, the guy started attacking the lady that was walking her dog, started killing the dog with the knife then turned the knife on her and started killing her,” Page explained. “[Joe], at that point, got out of his vehicle, found a rock, threw the rock, hit the suspect in the face, knocked him out, and right shortly after that the authorities arrived.”
Los Angeles County Sheriff deputies responded to the chaotic scene around 1:30 p.m. amid reports of an assault with a deadly weapon near the intersection of Shellman Avenue and Renwick Road, the outlet added. “The call indicated a woman was screaming and later updated indicating a woman was being stabbed,” the department said. Although the alleged perpetrator was reportedly stopped from hurting others by the brave bystander, it was sadly too late for Jeanne.
Deputies found Jeanne Edgar lying unresponsive in the street with multiple stab wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to authorities. Her dog was also found lying next to her and also pronounced dead. The suspect, who was identified by news outlets as Ricardo Saldivar, was taken to a hospital to be treated for head injuries and taken into custody. Deputies recovered a knife at the scene, and Saldivar was booked on suspicion of murder and attempted murder and held on a $2 million bail, The Blaze reported.
“This was one of the most horrific crime scenes we have ever seen at @FOXLA,” reporter Bill Melugin tweeted. “Some lunatic w/ a knife savagely stabs to death a 66 year old woman & her dog in a random broad daylight attack in San Dimas. A bystander with a rock knocked him out before he could attack anyone else.”
Drew Ashley, who lives nearby, shared similar sentiments, saying the attack was very troubling for the neighborhood. “What everyone takes for granted is thinking you have safety no matter where you go,” he said. “Sometimes you gotta watch your surroundings, have some situational awareness.” Drew is right. We do need to be aware of our surroundings and prepared to defend ourselves.
Sadly, in California, the state with the strictest gun laws according to World Population Review, that meant using a rock against a homicidal suspect with a knife. We would likely be sharing a much different story if just one good Samaritan at the busy park had been armed with a gun. After all, there’s a reason a gun has been called “the great equalizer.” Instead, Jeanne Edgar lost her life because she was at the mercy of a man with a knife.
