12-Year-Old Boy Stabbed During Bank Robbery 'Doing Well'
SAN LEANDRO (CBS SF) -- A 12-year-old boy who was stabbed by an erratic woman trying to rob bank customers in San Leandro on Monday is recovering from surgery and "doing well," a police lieutenant said Tuesday.
The boy, identified Tuesday as Jacob Soriano, was sitting in a lobby chair at the Wells Fargo bank at 1298 E. 14th St. at about 11:30 a.m. waiting for a relative to finish a bank transaction.
He was suddenly stabbed three times in the back, including a deep wound near his neck, by a woman identified as 32-year-old Oakland resident Iyona Hammond, according to police Lt. Robert McManus.
Hammond had allegedly come into the bank and quickly became agitated, demanding money from bank customers and robbing one customer making a deposit of several hundred dollars, McManus said.
The stabbed boy felt like he'd been punched in the back and ran toward his relative, leaving a trail of blood behind him.
Bank employees and customers called 911. Security guards in the bank tried to keep Hammond there initially, but she got around them just as police officers arrived and found her fleeing from the front entrance with blood on her hands and a pair of scissors, police said.
She was arrested and booked into jail. The bank was closed while employees cleaned the blood from the floor, according to police.
Police Lt. Robert McManus said Tuesday that Jacob was visiting the Bay Area from out of state, had surgery on Monday and is in stable condition.
"He came through surgery well. He's in good condition," said Melinda Krigel of Oakland's Children's Hospital. "And he's expected to make a full recovery."
Soriano might even leave the hospital Wednesday.
A look on his Facebook page shows Jacob to be a huge Warriors fan. KPIX 5 told the Warriors about his plight and the team got in touch with the family to say they would like to do something to make him feel better.
"We're originally from the Bay Area, so we are all huge Golden State Warrior fans," Jacob's mother Paula Soriano told KPIX 5 by phone.
She didn't want to face cameras after the family's ordeal. She and her husband drove from Arizona while Jacob was in surgery and faced a traffic-filled nightmare of a drive.
But Paula said Jacob and family appreciates all the kind thoughts, words, prayers, and cash received from a quickly set up GoFundMe page that is helping cover medical expenses.
"My family is very grateful. I can't thank everyone enough," she said.
McManus would not comment on Hammond's mental state Monday, but said she was medically cleared for incarceration and booked into Santa Rita Jail without bail. The attack was "completely unprovoked" and Hammond could face attempted murder charges, he said.
The Police Department will submit its case to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office on Wednesday morning ahead of a scheduled 2 p.m. court appearance in Hayward, McManus said.
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