Sergeant opens fire after being stabbed by man in Rancho Cucamonga

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (KABC) -- A San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department sergeant opened fire after she was stabbed and critically wounded by a man in a parking lot in Rancho Cucamonga, authorities said.

The confrontation occurred at about 9 a.m. Monday in front of a Hobby Lobby near the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Haven Avenue, according to the sheriff's department, which contracts with the Rancho Cucamonga Police Department.

The sergeant was transported to a hospital in critical but stable condition. The uninjured suspect was arrested, authorities said.

Witnesses said the female sergeant was stabbed multiple times in the chest and face.

The sheriff's department confirmed that the unidentified sergeant was dispatched to the location to conduct a welfare check after the suspect called 911 and claimed to have been abducted.

"Our dispatch center received a 911 call from the subject who claimed he had been abducted and making other statements that didn't seem to be making sense," said Sheriff John McMahon.

Witness Jonathan Schultz, who was performing electrical maintenance at the location, said the sergeant opened fire while being stabbed by the individual.

"I don't know how deep it got ... (or) what kind of weapon he used," Schultz said. "He got her good - got her in the head and got her in the shoulder. But, for the gal that she was, she did very well."

McMahon said that the suspect, armed with a knife between 6 and 8 inches in length, stabbed the sergeant in her face, shoulder and chest.

The sergeant reached for her handgun and shot four times at the assailant, McMahon said. The man was not struck by gunfire.

The sheriff's sergeant is expected to survive. She is a 26-year veteran of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.