A woman who was brutally stabbed outside the Friendship Heights Metro station last week says the thick leather of her favorite handbag might have helped save her life during the attack.
The 66-year-old woman, who did not want to be identified, was sitting on a bus stop bench at the station in Chevy Chase, Maryland, on Sept. 16 when a man came up to her and stabbed her multiple times with a butcher knife "for no apparent reason," Montgomery County court documents say.
Marcus Dwayne Jackson, 39, was arrested shortly after the stabbing in D.C. near Chevy Chase Circle, police said.
The victim was back home recovering Monday after suffering critical injuries.
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One deep stab wound stretches all the way down and around the victim's forearm. Another slash struck her chest, penetrating her lung and rupturing her spleen — but she said that potentially fatal wound was blunted by the thick leather of her favorite handbag, which was sitting on her lap. She told News4 it was a bag she'd wanted for a long time.
"From what I saw, it looks like the knife originally penetrated the purse and struck the phone inside the purse, cracking the screen protector," the woman's son, Jesse Parada, told News4. "And I honestly think that actually saved my mother's life."
Jackson faces attempted murder, assault and other charges. Officers found the knife on him when they arrested him, police said.
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The motive for the stabbing remains unclear, and police said in charging documents that Jackson didn't know the victim.
He was arrested nearby after a good Samaritan sprang into action. The witness followed the suspect down Western Avenue toward Chevy Chase Circle, describing his movements to the 911 dispatcher.
That earned the praise of Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy and the victim's family.
"But we had somebody who did what we're always asking people to do, and step in and be the good Samaritan and follow this person, and that led to the individual's arrest," McCarthy said.
"I just want to say thank you so much for everything you did, and from the bottom of my heart, like, it means so much to me, my family, to, you know, even the public safety, that this gentleman is put away," Parada said.
Jackson, who has a D.C. address, has a criminal history and was previously arrested for assault, carrying a pistol without a license, robbery, vandalism and possessing drugs with the intent to distribute, charging documents said.
The woman's family said the attack and its aftermath have cost them peace of mind, their sense of safety and they've lost wages. But they're beyond grateful she's alive.
She said she commuted by public transit for years, but she will never ride Metro again.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported the woman was stabbed in Northwest D.C.
