Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Sep 20

Andrew Kris Bzdak Charged in 17-Stab Attack on Sikh Truck Driver, Held on $1 Million Bail

Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Sep 20

Andrew Kris Bzdak Charged in 17-Stab Attack on Sikh Truck Driver, Held on $1 Million Bail

Q: How did ordinary bystanders manage to track down a fleeing attacker after a bloody interstate rest stop stabbing?

Ordinary bystanders helped track down the fleeing attacker by quickly turning eyewitness observations into usable evidence for police. According to court records and witness accounts, a family at the Bitter Creek rest area heard screaming and grunting coming from the men’s restroom, then saw a man run out of the building, get into a semi-truck and drive east on Interstate 80. Instead of losing sight of him, they followed the truck long enough to photograph identifying details, including markings on the trailer and license plate information. They relayed that information to dispatch, giving investigators an early description of the suspect as a white male truck driver and helping pinpoint the vehicle’s direction of travel. Reports said the trailer bore “JKC,” and the truck was described as red, with the trailer possibly white or blue. That witness information was reinforced by video from a nearby parked semi, which investigators said showed the victim entering the restroom, a man later identified as Andrew Kris Bzdak following him inside, and then that same man running out less than a minute later. With the eyewitness tip, photos and video, Wyoming Highway Patrol was able to locate the semi near Rawlins and arrest Bzdak within about 90 minutes of the first 911 call. In short, the suspect was found because bystanders did more than call for help: they observed, followed, documented and passed along precise vehicle details fast enough for troopers to intercept him.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 20

Wyoming authorities charged Andrew Kris Bzdak with attempted first-degree murder after Gurvinder Singh said he was ambushed and stabbed 17 times at a rest stop on Sept. 13.
Singh, a Sikh truck driver hauling goods from California, was airlifted to a Casper hospital with lacerations to his neck, chest and arms and was later discharged.
Police have not determined a motive, leaving Sikh truck drivers worried after an attack that Singh said began when he entered a restroom in the early morning.
The stabbing comes amid heightened hostile rhetoric toward Sikhs, a community with more than 100,000 people working in trucking in the United States.