Assailant Stabs 2 Women in Hollywood Office Building

An early morning robbery attempt inside a Hollywood office building Thursday turned violent when an assailant repeatedly stabbed two women, sending them to the hospital with serious injuries, police said.

The victims, whose names and ages were not released, were recovering at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. They were attacked about 8 a.m. in their office at Physicians’ Administrators Inc., a medical billing service on the 19th floor of the First Interstate Bank building on Sunset Boulevard.

Police, repeating one victim’s account, said the women frequently arrived at work early. The suspect entered the office before other workers arrived, demanded money and became enraged when the women said they had none.

Police did not say whether the assailant stole any money or goods from the office.

The victims called police shortly after the incident, which left one woman with a punctured lung. She was listed in serious condition after surgery Thursday.

Company President Abel Durand said he and his nine other employees were shocked by the incident. “It could be me [or] anyone else,” he said.

Police were uncertain why the suspected chose to rob the billing service, which does not keep money on hand. Workers at offices on other floors reported seeing a man prowling around before the attack.

Police said the assailant did not force his way into the office, but they believe he entered through an unlocked door or was let in by one of the victims. Durand said the front door to the office is always locked in the mornings.

Security officers on the building’s ground floor said they did not see anyone suspicious Thursday morning. Visitors who arrive before 7 a.m. are required to sign in but those after that time are allowed to pass freely, they said.