Coworker accused of stabbing mom, her 2 sons in daylight Philadelphia attack

Police have identified a man suspected in a brutal stabbing that left a mother and her two sons hospitalized on Sunday afternoon, reports CBS Philadelphia.

The charges against 39-year-old Hengian Ni include attempt to commit rape and three counts of attempt to commit murder, according to police. Ni, who was denied bail Monday, has not yet entered a plea in the case.

The woman he's accused of attacking suffered multiple wounds and was brought to a hospital, where she is in critical condition. Officials said her 15-year-old son was stabbed twice in the back of his head and her 10-year-old son once in the back of his head and once in his left leg. They're both in stable condition.

Witnesses told CBS Philadelphia that the boys were stabbed while trying to protect their mom. 

"They said he was stabbing the mom and the kids came down to help and that's how they got stabbed," a neighbor said. 

Witnesses told CBS Philadelphia they saw the attacker, who they said was carrying a backpack, casually walking away after the attack, leaving the woman fighting for her life.

A few seconds later, the children told neighbors the man who attacked their mom followed them outside. They also said he was a co-worker of their mom. 

"I didn't know what he was going to do, if he was going to try to attack them again," a neighbor said. "So I said, 'Run, run, run, inside my house.' So we all ran inside my basement."

The neighbor says as she was hustling the kids and herself inside, she glanced back to see if the suspect was following them.

"He just turned around, he looked at us, and just casually walked away," she said. 

Once safe in the basement, she called 911, and the boys pleaded with her to check on their mom a few doors away.

"I just called out and said, 'Ma'am, ma'am, ma'am.' And she came stumbling down the steps," the neighbor said.

Police say about two hours after the attack, the suspected attacker turned himself in.