Man charged with attempted murder in Encino hospital stabbings
A man suspected of stabbing a doctor and two nurses at an Encino hospital was charged Tuesday with three counts of attempted murder.
Ashkan Amirsoleymani, 35, was arrested Friday night after an hours-long standoff with police. Amirsoleymani had entered Encino Hospital Medical Center that afternoon under the guise of seeking treatment for an unspecified ailment, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Witnesses who spoke with The Times on Saturday described the scene of the stabbings as “a bloodbath.”
Parham Saadat and Faraz Farahnik, who work at a nearby dental office, said they were leaving work Friday when they came across a bloodied man outside the hospital.
A patient, whom police identified as Ashkan Amirsoleymani, 35, was taken into custody Friday night on suspicion of stabbing two nurses and a doctor.
At first they thought the man was seeking treatment, but they soon realized he was wearing scrubs, and no one was helping him.
Saadat and Farahnik ran over to help the man and learned he was a nurse. He told them a patient had stabbed him and was inside stabbing others.
Saadat and Farahnik called for an ambulance, helped the nurse and entered the hospital, where they helped confine Amirsoleymani in a small room by shutting a door behind him. Saadat and Farahnik also helped attend to the injured doctor until paramedics arrived.
SWAT officers entered the hospital around 5:25 p.m., and Amirsoleymani was taken into custody a few hours later, police said. He was transported to a hospital for wounds to his arms that appeared to be self-inflicted, according to investigators.
The three counts of attempted murder against Amirsoleymani include allegations of causing great bodily injury and having prior violent convictions, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
It was not clear whether Amirsoleymani had an attorney representing him. He was scheduled for arraignment Tuesday, but the proceedings were continued to June 22, according to Ricardo Santiago, a district attorney’s office spokesperson.
Police said Amirsoleymani has had prior encounters with the LAPD, including two that involved officers using force against him. He was arrested in both instances on suspicion of battery on an officer and resisting arrest, authorities said.
In a criminal complaint filed Tuesday, prosecutors listed five prior convictions, including assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and assault with a deadly weapon.
Amirsoleymani remained in custody Tuesday on bail of $3 million, jail records show.
The three stabbing victims were hospitalized in stable condition as of Saturday. Police did not have an update on their status Tuesday.
Times staff writers Alex Wigglesworth, Richard Winton and Kevin Rector contributed to this report.
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