'You Stabbed Me': Councilman Oh Recounts Moment He Was Attacked
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — City Councilman David Oh is recovering on Thursday after he was stabbed during a robbery on Wednesday night.
It happened around 9:40 p.m. in the 5800 block of Thomas Ave. in Southwest Philadelphia.
"I came back from work…when I pulled up I saw one of my neighbors standing on the porch," Councilman Oh recounts. "He appeared to be waving to me. I waved at him but he didn't really respond. And I noticed someone else walking past my car and I said, 'oh this must be a friend of his; this is who he must be waving at.'"
Councilman's Office Asks Anyone With Info On Stabbing To Come Forward
Police say as the councilman was getting his things out of the car when he engages with his attacker.
"He was saying something to me which I couldn't understand so I kept saying 'what?' And then he said 'the keys, the keys. Give me the keys to your car."
The councilman says he thought maybe there was an emergency, maybe the man needed to go to the hospital.
"And then he punched me in my left side," Oh says.
"The offender is still trying to stab him as people are coming out to assist," said Lt. John Walker, with the Philadelphia Police Department. "He's able to fight them off and the offender runs westbound."
Councilman Oh was rushed to the hospital where he underwent successful surgery early Thursday morning.
Oh is now recovering at his home in Kingsessing.
"[He's] extremely lucky. If you look at the wound, it's right between the chest and the waist are. Pretty much dead center. You have a lot of organs around there," said Lt. Walker.
Walker says a witness told police a driver in a white car appeared to be recording the attack before driving off. Walker added the car was last seen on Cobbs Creek and Willow, the area where the suspect ran to. It's not known if the suspect got into the car.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney issued the following statement on the attack:
"We are all praying for Councilman Oh's quick recovery and for his family. I urge anyone with information about this crime to call 911. Violence on our streets is always tragic. When it happens near our homes – where we should feel safe – it's all the more devastating."
A spokesperson from the councilman's office says Oh is in "good spirits."
Philadelphia City Council President Darrell Clarke said Oh has "improved significantly" and that he's going to be alright.
Clarke also touched on the violence that's been plaguing Philly's streets.
"All lives matter," Clarke said. "Every Philadelphian's life matters in this city."
Clarke added, "It is no longer OK to say the violence and the numbers in terms of homicide are under 300 and we act like that's OK. That's not OK."
No arrests have been made. The suspect is only described as a black man in his 20s.
Anyone with any information is asked to call police at 215-686-TIPS.
