SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Authorities have arrested a man suspected of stabbing a pregnant woman multiple times in a Mira Mesa parking lot on Saturday morning.
The suspect was located in Carmel Valley around 2:30 p.m. Sunday and taken into custody, said Sgt. Eric Drilling from the San Diego Police Department. He was identified as 27-year-old Cole Klemke.
Police said Klemke appeared to have no relation to the woman but does have a criminal history. Tips from the public after the suspect's description was released played a significant role in his arrest.
The stabbing occurred when the 25-year-old woman was at a Bank of America drive-thru ATM around 10 a.m. on Saturday. She was stabbed in the neck, left shoulder, and chin while standing outside her vehicle, police said.
"This appears to be a random exchange between the victim and the suspect," Drilling said. "Prior to the attack ... there was no demand made for money or anything else. So it appears that the suspect just came up, stabbed victim, and then fled the scene."
The victim, who is four months pregnant, was transported to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and is now recovering at home, police said.
Authorities have not yet determined a motive for the attack.
Residents are grateful that the attacker is off the street. However, they said they still don't feel completely safe.
“People just don't feel safe going to like parking lots ... A simple trip to Target can be a robbery," said Joseph Mabolo, a Target shopper.
Mabolo said this attack just makes him want a safer community in the Mira Mesa area.
"It could happen to anybody here in this neighborhood ... Being a father and a husband, knowing that it was a pregnant woman ... This neighborhood has definitely changed a lot over the past couple of decades," he said.
