19-year old booked for slashing 9 people with sharp-edged object

A 19-year-old Los Angeles man suspected of slashing at least nine people with a sharp-edged object as he rode through the city on a bicycle has been booked on suspicion of attempted murder, police said on Thursday. Lenrey Briones was taken into custody shortly after 1 p.m. on Wednesday near a homeless camp where detectives believe he lived, said Officer Rosario Cervantes of the Los Angeles Police Department.

His arrest came after police released photo and video images of the suspect in the seemingly random attacks, which left parts of America's second-largest city on edge, and called on the public's help in apprehending him. Local KABC-TV reported that officers were tipped off to Briones by his probation office. A bike resembling the one used by the slasher was found at the homeless camp.

The string of slashings began on March 20, according to the LAPD. They often took place in broad daylight and included victims ranging in age from 13 to 85. The latest two attacks occurred on Monday when officers responding to a radio call at around 8:40 p.m. found a man suffering from a severe wound to the left side of his face.

About 15 minutes later, a young woman was attacked nearby. "He just came in back of me and hit me," Stefany Coboz told local KNBC-TV, displaying a stitched and bandaged wound in her neck. "I just started looking at him, he looked back, I grabbed myself full of blood."

Coboz said her assailant did not speak to her but laughed as he rode away. 

(With inputs from agencies.)