Motive Unclear In Child Stabbing At Dave And Buster's
WESTBURY, N.Y. (CBS 2) -- An eight-year-old boy was stabbed in the back at Dave and Buster's for no reason at all, and the senseless violence has left a Long Island community reeling.
A Nassau County man is in jail, accused of the unthinkable attack, reports CBS 2's Derricke Dennis.
Police say 23-year-old Evan Sachs, a movie theater worker from Merrick, stabbed the innocent boy. They say he walked into the Dave and Buster's in Westbury on Friday night alone, and randomly plunged a folding knife into the boy's back.
"You'll find crazy people anywhere – even at Dave and Buster's," Bernard Etienne said.
"You expect a family place to be very safe, so yes, it is surprising," Ann Monroe said.
"Why do people do what they do? I don't know," Nassau Police Lieutenant Kevin Smith said.
Lt. Smith said the boy survived after being stabbed five times. He's currently in the intensive care unit at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola with a collapsed lung, but, incredibly, he's expected to recover.
Police say the boy was just 20 feet away from his parents, playing a video game at the arcade, when Sachs went straight for him.
"He's approached from behind by someone who puts their left hand on his left shoulder, and that individual takes a knife and plunges it into his back several times," Lt. Smith said.
The boy's father and a witness cornered Sachs within seconds of the attack, holding him until police arrived.
The business issued the following statement on the incident: "All of us at Dave and Buster's are shocked and deeply saddened. Our thoughts go out to the victim and his family, and we wish him a full and speedy recovery."
The statement goes on to say that Dave and Buster's does everything it can to ensure the safety of its guests and employees, and that the company is cooperating with police in their investigation.
"There's no apparent relationship between this boy and the defendant, none whatsoever, there's no connection," Lt. Smith said.
There's also no apparent motive. Police say Sachs has no prior record, and no known history of mental illness.
Even Sachs' neighbors in Merrick, where he lives with his parents, were surprised. One woman told CBS 2 that Sachs is a nice, quiet person.
Sachs is charged with attempted murder and remains in police custody.
Police said the boy and his parents are from North Hempstead. His name has not been released.
