Man Charged With Randomly Stabbing Woman On Esplanade Declared 'Acutely Psychotic'

BOSTON (CBS) – Luis Olivo, the man suspected of randomly stabbing a woman who was jogging on the Esplanade Friday, did not appear at a scheduled Monday arraignment. Instead, a judge ordered Olivo undergo a mental health evaluation after a doctor testified he is "acutely psychotic."

Olivo, 37, is charged with armed assault with intent to murder. The victim was released from the hospital over the weekend.

Police say Olivo stabbed a 23-year-old Allston woman "suddenly and without provocation" with a pair of scissors. The attack happened on a footbridge between the Esplanade and the Lagoon.

Officers tased and arrested Olivo at the corner of Dartmouth and Commonwealth Ave. A pair of scissors was found on the patio of the restaurant Buttermilk & Bourbon.

Olivo's record shows multiple charges of assault and gross lewdness.

"There's a whole litany of issues that make it clear that this guy is dangerous and needs to be kept away from people," said WBZ-TV security analyst Ed Davis, but he argued it can get difficult.

"There are too many cases where either the prison system or the police are stuck to deal with these mental health problems when really they should be handled by professionals," Davis said.

Olivo's arraignment was scheduled for Boston Municipal Court on Monday morning. He told his attorney he wanted to appear at his arraignment. Olivo's attorney argued his client was not mentally competent to make that decision.

A doctor testified that Olivo is "clearly psychotic."

"The court does not feel comfortable arraigning someone who is in that state of mind," the judge ruled.

Instead, the judge ordered Olivo undergo a 20-day mental health evaluation. He is next due in court on July 19.

"There are individuals like this guy, where the judge's hands are really tied right now – but we need to have the mental health system step up and take care of them because it's just not acceptable to have an incident like this occur," said Davis.

He added, "It's not right to just lock people up randomly, but on the other hand it's not right to have some young woman get attacked."