4 hospitalized in Indianapolis attack by knife-wielding man

INDIANAPOLIS — A knife-wielding man injured three people in an attack in downtown Indianapolis after being told to stop playing a siren on a bullhorn, authorities said Sunday.

Four people, including the suspect, were hospitalized after the attack Saturday afternoon on the American Legion Mall. Two were in critical condition and two in serious condition, Indianapolis Fire Department Battalion Chief Rita Reith said.

Gary Madison, 57, of Indianapolis faces three preliminary charges of battery by means of a deadly weapon, jail records showed.

Taylor George told The Indianapolis Star that she was with a group of family and friends when the man rode up on a bicycle, got off and began playing a siren on a bullhorn. George said she and a female friend asked him to stop. She said her friend has epilepsy and worried the noise would trigger a seizure.

George said no one in the group knew the man, but they had seen him downtown before and that he usually used the bullhorn to speak.

After being told to stop, the man immediately pulled out a knife and tried to stab her and her friend, George said. George, who is pregnant, said the blade came within inches of her stomach. As the two dodged the man, George said, he threw his bike at them and other members in the group.

Four men in her group rushed the suspect. One was stabbed in the stomach and two in their arms, she said. The suspect stabbed himself in the abdomen accidentally, George said. Another member of the group held the suspect until police arrived, she said.