Police: 12-Year-Old Allegedly Stabbed in Line at Pittsburgh McDonald's

Police in Pittsburgh say a 12-year-old boy was stabbed inside a McDonald’s Saturday in the city’s downtown area.

“Police said they arrested 51-year-old Charles Edward Turner in connection with the stabbing. He’s facing several charges, including criminal attempted homicide,” KDKA reported.

The victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition and a criminal complaint said a doctor later upgraded his condition to stable.

“It also said a black and yellow box cutter was recovered from the scene and a piece of razor blade that broke off the box cutter was recovered where the stabbing happened,” the report continued.

Officers said the boy was stabbed in the neck while inside the McDonald’s restaurant on Liberty Avene and Stanwix Street a few minutes after 2:00 p.m.

“He was with his family, he was standing in line, they had just zipped in for one quick thing,” said Cara Cruz, the Deputy Public Information Officer for the Pittsburgh Public Safety Department.

According to Cruz, Turner was in line behind the boy and his family. A criminal complaint said a witness claimed Turner tackled the child from behind and while others tried to get him off the boy, they noticed his neck was cut.

“Documents also state that Turner resisted arrest by punching and kicking officers. Court documents said one officer had cuts on his face and two other victims had minor injuries,” the KDKA article read.

Cruz said restaurant workers also stepped in to help during the incident.

“Two McDonald’s employees did try to intervene and help the child then police and EMS arrived on the scene,” she noted, adding that police do not believe the boy and Turner knew one another, neither do they know if the incident was random.

The public safety department shared a photo Saturday of the suspect and detailed the charges against him. Turner is currently being held at Allegheny County Jail:

“We’re here all the time, people are here all the time, it’s scary, very scary and a child…that’s terrifying,” Maggie Kishbaugh, a Duquesne University student, said of the incident.