Three kids injured at Hague department store stabbing
The three victims in a stabbing Friday evening in the Hague were all minor children, the police said in a statement. The motive behind the knifings near a Hudson's Bay department store at about 7:45 p.m. was still unknown hours later.
All three victims were released from an area hospital, police confirmed.
Two of the victims were believed to be teenaged girls who ran into the department store after they were injured on the street, a Hudson's Bay spokesperson told broadcaster NOS. Police were in contact with the victims' families, authorities said. The conditions of the victims were not released.
"I saw two girls screaming and running away. A man fled," one witness said, according to the broadcaster. "He jumped very athletically over benches to get away. He looked like a cheetah," the witness continued.
At least two people were detained, according to RTL Nieuws, but neither was believed to be the offender. One of those was people was held by police and placed in a squad car at about 9:45 p.m. in front of De Bijenkorf about 100 meters away from the crime scene. IntInitially, a description was released of a man wanted for questioning. He was described as having slightly tanned skin, aged between 45 and 50, wearing a gray track suit, black jacket, and a scarf. It is not clear if he was one of those questioned and released.
"I am terribly shocked by the news that a stabbing incident took place tonight on the Grote Marktstraat in Den Haag, where children were victimized," said Boudewijn Revis, Deputy Mayor of Den Haag in a statement on Twitter that was quickly taken down, then later reposted. "On a night when many people were shopping on one of the busiest shopping streets, something so terrible happens," he said. "I wish the victims much strength."
The Grote Marktstraat was filled with shoppers enjoying an evening out while trying to take advantage of Black Friday sales. Anyone who witnessed the violent incident was asked to contact authorities, and to volunteer any videos and photos taken at the scene.
