Two dentists credited as heroes in Encino hospital stabbing
Dr. Parham Saadat and his partner at a dentistry in Encino were getting ready to head home for the weekend when they spotted a man in scrubs who was bleeding excessively.
"We were walking by and noticed a gentleman with scrubs standing outside and he was bleeding profusely. We took the initiative to go over and help him," Sadaat said.
Good thing they did. Moments after, Sadaat, who is a dentist and has his business right across the street from the Encino Hospital Medical Center, realized what was going on and went inside to help.
"My first instinct was I don't want to get attacked," Sadaat said. "So I walked in and look around, I see the gentleman with the knife in his hand. He's walking and just goes into this room. We run and close the door on him and I look back and I'm like wow, there's blood everywhere."
Sadaat told CBSLA Reporter Rick Montanez that he and his partner, Dr. Faraz Farahnik helped stop the victims from bleeding until paramedics arrived.
Following a long standoff, the suspect was arrested and is being hold on bail for $3 million.
On Saturday, LAPD identified the suspect as Ashkan Amirsoleymani, 35. He was booked on three counts of attempted murder.
Police told Montanez that Amirsoleymani does have a criminal record. We found that he was arrested on a misdemeanor.
Officers said that Amirsoleymani went into the hospital on Friday seeking treatment. Then, he turned on the hospital staff, stabbing one doctor and two nurses.
"These are people that I've work alongside of really for decades now. They are heroic and brave in every way," Dr. Jason Greenspan said.
Greenspan is the emergency room director at the hospital. He said that he's spoken with the two nurses and doctor who were stabbed.
They will be ok, according to Greenspan, but they have a long road to recovery.
On the other hand, the emergency room re-opened on Saturday after it was the crime scene yesterday. A positive sign for the community of Encino.
For Sadaat, he's just happy that the victims are recovering.
"It's frightening. You don't know what's going to happen or when it's going to happen," he said.
