A 38-year-old woman was stabbed on the seventh floor of Macy's flagship location in Manhattan on Thursday afternoon, CBS News reported.
Police arrested a 43-year-old Massachusetts resident, Kerri Aherne, in connection with the attack and have charged the woman with attempted murder, assault with a weapon, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon.
"We are deeply saddened about the incident that took place today, as the safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority. We kindly defer any further questions to the local authorities," Macy's told CBS in a statement.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found the victim suffering from multiple stab wounds to her back and a cut on her right arm. She was taken to a local hospital, where she was reported to be in stable condition.
Shoppers present in the department store at the time of the attack shared their concerns with CBS. One shopper remarked, "It's a pretty safe environment. I wouldn't imagine something like that could happen."
Another shopper added, "We all come in here with families. We don’t know what happens, so, of course, we want more security."
Second Macy's incident
This assault marks the second incident in the New York City department store in the past month.
In November, a 71-year-old man was shopping with his family when Donna Francis, 65, allegedly approached him from behind and struck him in the head four times with an object believed to be a cell phone.
That attack was reported to be unprovoked.
The victim in that incident was treated at a local hospital for severe internal bruising, and Francis was arrested and charged with assault, according to the CBS report.