Suspected drug addict stabs 6 people, kills himself in HCMC

Danh Giau, 23, and his older brother were delivering ice to restaurants and coffee shops near Ban Co Market in District 3 when he suddenly took off his clothes, ran to a cart selling coconut water on the sidewalk, grabbed the machete used to husk the nuts, and swung it screaming loudly.

Then he rushed into a coffee shop on Nguyen Thien Thuat Street and started slashing the weapon around. The 20-odd customers in the shop fled with some throwing tables and chairs at him in an attempt to stop him.

He then turned around, ran out of the shop and stabbed a man walking on the street in the chest.

He ran back to the market, yelling, and rushed into another coffee shop to drink water.

Thanh, 60, who sells lottery tickets around the market, saw Giau coming and so he and his 44-year-old son tried to run. But the son stumbled and fell, and Giau stabbed him on the head and one arm.

He continued to run to the intersection of Nguyen Thien Thuat and Nguyen Dinh Chieu streets and stabbed the security guard at a dentistry.

Within half an hour he attacked six people on the streets.

Then he stopped on Ban Co Street, slit his own neck and died instantly.

Of the six victims, a 65-year-old man, suffered the most severe injuries and is under treatment at the People's 115 Hospital and on a ventilator.

The police said Giau might have been high on drugs and hallucinating.

They are investigating the horrific attack.

Giau was a native of the Mekong Delta’s Hau Giang Province and had been working at an ice production facility in Thu Duc City along with his brother.