Arizona Man Allegedly Stabs Boss Multiple Times In Office, Arrested After Lengthy Standoff

A man was arrested for allegedly stabbing his boss multiple times at their workplace in Phoenix, Arizona, the police said.

The police responded to reports of an armed man at Kem Krest, an auto parts facility, near 75th Avenue and Buckeye Road around 7:45 a.m. Monday, AZ Central reported, citing court records.

Upon reaching the scene, the cops found a man with severe cuts on the face, neck, abdomen, and right hand. The bleeding man was then taken to the hospital, where he received emergency surgery, according to KTAR news.

The accused, identified as 28-year-old Kendis Randles, and the victim had an altercation before the stabbing took place, the police told ABC15.

Phoenix police took the help of SWAT and members of the Crisis Intervention Team to remove Randles from the business after he barricaded himself in the office. The building was evacuated, following which the police got in touch with the accused.

Employee Ralph Rocha told ABC15 he had just begun his shift when heard noises.

"I just heard like tables moving and somebody screaming in the background," said Rocha. "By the time I was up there they had already isolated him in the office."

The authorities spoke with the accused for several hours to persuade him to surrender, following which they used non-lethal tear gas to force him out of the premises. The police also found the box cutter used in the incident at the scene.

"He said he didn't want to come out alive," a police spokesperson told the outlet.

Randles was arrested by Phoenix Police Department, and booked into Maricopa County Jail on counts of attempted murder and third-degree aggravated assault.

He had allegedly attacked his superior because he believed the victim was a threat to the community, court documents revealed.

After being taken into police custody, Randles admitted to intentionally cutting his superior, whose identity was not revealed by the authorities, using a box cutter in an attempt to kill him. He said "if the legal system would not serve justice, then he would have to get the victim off of the street to protect the community," according to court records.

Randles had reportedly been accumulating anger against his boss for several months. The charging documents added the accused attempted to report the victim to the police for allegedly trying to sell a baby about five years ago. However, his efforts were in vain. Randles also informed the police he confronted his boss several times about the issues, but the latter denied any wrongdoing.

His next court hearings are on Oct. 24 and Oct. 27.