LAKE COUNTY, Ind. — A man was arrested after allegedly stabbing a 14-year-old girl at a baseball game in northwest Indiana Saturday afternoon.
After what police are calling an "intense manhunt" and an "eventual foot pursuit," a 26-year-old man was taken into custody Sunday, Sept. 1.
The Lake County Sheriff's Department said the teen was watching her brother's baseball game with her mom at the baseball fields, located at 17401 Morse St. in Lowell, on Saturday, Aug. 31.
Around 3:45 p.m., the suspect allegedly attacked the victim and stabbed her in the hand with a butcher-style knife. When the victim's mom tried to help, the suspect tried to stab her, too.
The victim was taken to a local hospital where she was treated. Her condition is not known at this time.
Deputies believe this was a random attack.
The Lake County Sheriff's Department said the suspect was running through a cornfield when an officer successfully apprehended him. Deputies said he was in the process of cutting his hair to change his appearance just before he was arrested.
The suspect is now in custody at the Lake County Jail.
(NOTE: 13News does not name suspects until formal charges are filed by prosecutors.)
Deputies said the suspect was deported to Honduras in 2018 and may have been engaged in criminal activity across the United States since illegally returning to the country. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security was notified of his arrest.
"I would like to extend my most heartfelt gratitude to each and every Lake County police officer and to all law enforcement agencies working tirelessly on the investigation and search in this case," Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said in a post on Facebook. "I am proud of the level of cooperation exhibited by police officers throughout the county. I would also like to thank the public for sharing information in a responsible manner and for assisting us with good tips the officers could use."
Lowell is approximately 130 miles northwest of Indianapolis.
