Man sought for Harford County attack that left 5 injured, including 2 children
The Harford County Sheriff's Office is searching for a man they say injured five people in a stabbing at a home Sunday morning.
Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said deputies responded to the scene on Deerhill Circle in Abingdon just after 7:15 a.m. and found three people stabbed inside a home and two others who were injured during the attack.
An arrest warrant has been issued for 32-year-old Raja Zahid Maqsood for attempted murder and assault. Deputies said he has access to a black Hyundai, but he may also be on foot.
Two of the victims were 8 months old and 2 years old, along with three adults. Two knives were found at the scene as well.
"We saw the kids, we went outside and noticed the kids were bloody," said a neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous.
The victims are expected to survive, according to police.
"The suspect fled out of the residence, fled, we know, to the Abingdon Walmart, where we know he went for a couple of minutes, and then he went over to the Target right next door where he purchased a change of clothing," Sheriff Gahler said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Harford County Sheriff's Office at 443-409-3154.
Sheriff: Suspect had prior relationship with woman
Investigators are searching for Maqsood, who had a previous relationship with one of the women in the home, according to Sheriff Gahler.
Maqsood had been recently charged twice with domestic violence charges and was wearing an ankle monitor during the attack.
"We see how much he cared about the ankle monitor," Sheriff Gahler said. "He wore it throughout the attack, and as he fled, and didn't cut it off until he was trying to evade capture, but we will find him."
Abingdon neighbor recalls chaos
As the search for the suspect continues, neighbors are concerned for the family, especially the children, who are healing physically and mentally.
"I hope that the kids can get this out of their heads and nightmares to come and hopefully get all the help they're going to need, because that's a really scary thing to be involved in as a child. I can't even imagine," a neighbor said.
This neighbor described the scene as absolute chaos when he heard sirens and looked outside to see officers with weapons drawn outside his home.
"We knew right away that the kids were hurt and that it was just that things slowly came together what happened," the neighbor said. "It was a bad experience."
The neighbor said he brought the children inside his home to stay warm until EMTs arrived.
"He came there with ill intent," Sheriff Gahler said. "He came there to commit this attack. There was not some sort of incident at the house ahead of time that escalated into an assault. He came and initiated the assault right away. He came with the intent to take a life."
