#Man fatally stabs woman, dog in California attack, cops say

An unhinged man fatally stabbed a woman and her dog in an apparently random, broad daylight rampage in California — ended only when another man knocked him out with a rock, local authorities said. 

The 23-year-old suspect targeted his victims around 1:35 p.m. Thursday inside Lone Hill Park in San Dimas, about 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in statement.

The knife-wielding attacker first approached a 30-year-old man who had just parked his truck and started walking through the park toward the public restroom, police said. 

The man turned and ran away from the threat — but the suspect chased him before turning his attention to a woman in her 60s walking her dog, authorities said. 

He grabbed the dog’s leash and yanked it free of her grasp, cops said. 

He proceeded to stab the dog, and then his owner, police said.

During that attack, the first man who had been targeted returned and struck the suspect in the head with a rock, knocking him unconscious, authorities said.

The woman, who suffered multiple stab wounds, was pronounced dead on scene. Her dog was pronounced dead as well. 

Arriving deputies took the attacker into custody. He was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated for head injuries, and will be transported to the San Dimas station to be booked for murder once he is medically cleared, authorities said. 

Tony Page, the father-in-law of the man who struck the suspect with the rock, said the situation could have turned out far worse. 

“Joe was sitting in his vehicle, watching this horrific thing take place,” Page told KABC. “The suspect at that point turned after killing the dog and started stabbing the lady. At that point Joe got out of his vehicle, looked for something. He found a rock, picked it up, he threw it, hit the suspect in the face, knocked him out. He was able to basically subdue and hold the suspect until authorities arrived.”

“True hero,” he added. “That guy was out to kill anybody and everybody …. Who knows how many more people he would’ve taken?”