NAGANO -- Police arrested a 28-year-old woman Aug. 20 for allegedly stabbing two children inside a supermarket elevator in Suzaka, Nagano Prefecture.
The suspect, who was recently released from a mental hospital, suddenly took out a fruit knife and stabbed 6-year-old Daiki Takemae and his 2-year-old sister, Yui, in the elevator of Shinshu Jasco Suzaka supermarket at about 3:20 p.m., police said.
The boy was stabbed in the back and sustained serious injuries, while his sister, who was stabbed in the abdomen, is in critical condition, according to police. The children were reportedly alone in the elevator with the suspect, who faces attempted murder charges.
The children had gone to the supermarket with their mother, 36-year-old Hisae Takemae, but were not with her when they entered the elevator, police said.
The suspect, whose identity is being withheld, turned herself in to police later in the day. The woman was released from a mental institution earlier this month after about six months of treatment, police said.
Police, who are questioning the suspect to determine a motive, report that she has said, "I stabbed someone," but has not said anything further.