FILE: An Orem police vehicle is pictured in Orem on Friday Feb. 19, 2021. Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
OREM, Utah — Jail booking records shed new light on the arrest of a man accused in a stabbing attack in Orem that sent three people to the hospital.
Neighbors told KSL TV’s Andrew Adams they heard screaming and panic near 700 East and 1400 South in Orem. Katie Adelmann reported rushing to her window to see what was going on.
“I hear screaming, so I look outside the door and I see this guy outside and he’s like pouring blood outside his stomach,” Adelmann said. “I go to the living room and look out the window and I see these two little kids running back and forth, trying to look for help, I think.”
She said she recognized the victims but not the man she saw handcuffed on the ground. Police identified him as Wilton Molina, a tenant of two of the victims.
Molina faces accusations of attempted murder in the Orem stabbing. He is also accused of interference with arresting officers, over accusations he tried to kick them.
According to the probable cause statement filed in support of his arrest, police believe he first attacked a fellow tenant, who ran down the street and managed to call 911 before collapsing.
Next, police say Molina allegedly went after the landlady with the knife. Her husband, the landlord, heard her screams and tried to put himself between his wife and the attacker. During a scuffle, police say the man and woman both suffered cuts as well as bite wounds. At some point, the landlord used a chair to strike Molina and subdue him until police arrived, the probable cause statement said.
In all, three people wound up in the hospital for treatment. The woman’s wounds were minor. The landlord, her husband, required surgery but was listed in stable condition. The other victim, a tenant, had more serious injuries, was listed in critical condition and also required surgery.