Police Arrest Man Accused Of Stabbing 2 Homeless Citizens In Downtown OKC

Oklahoma City police arrested a man they said violently stabbed homeless citizens with a knife last week.

One of the attacks was caught on camera at a gas station near the downtown area. Police said the victims did not know the suspect and the attacks were random.

Video obtained by News 9 showed the first stabbing incident last Wednesday night outside the Friendly Food Store near Exchange Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue. The victim was sitting outside the store when the suspect suddenly jumped out of his car with a knife and slashed the victim’s face.

“The attacks were violent, unprovoked,” said Msgt. Gary Knight, Oklahoma City Police Department.

The suspect chased after the victim before leaving in the black car. The victim told officers he did not know the suspect.

Twenty minutes later police responded to another stabbing near Northwest 4th Street and Francis Avenue. Police said a homeless woman was stabbed in the face.

“They did not have life-threatening injuries, but they had significant cuts,” said Knight.

Police said the victims gave nearly identical descriptions of the suspect.

“Leading us to believe it was the same person, same MO,” said Knight. “It’s unclear why he targeted them but both of them did end up being homeless individuals.”

Investigators immediately started looking for the suspect to prevent another violent attack. They found video from the gas station and Flock cameras that showed the suspect's car tag number.

“Once they knew the tag on the vehicle the suspect was driving,” said Knight. “They were able to track that to a residence.”

Police found the car at a home in northwest Oklahoma City and arrested 24-year-old Gasper Santiago two days after the attacks.

“No indication he knew them or had any history with either of them,” said Knight.

Santiago was booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. His bond was set at $100,000.