California man charged with stabbing 71-year-old woman outside Chicago's Union Station, CPD says

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A 25-year-old man from Oakland, California has been charged in a stabbing outside Union Station Wednesday afternoon, Chicago police said.

Wilson Barreno is charged with one count of first degree attempted murder, one count of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and one count of aggravated battery using a deadly weapon in the attack against 71-year-old Arlene Rado around 1:30 p.m. yesterday. All are felony charges.

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Rado's husband Alan told ABC7 she was walking her dog Mickey when she was blindsided by her attacker. Police said Barreno is the man who stabbed her with "sharp object," then ran off. Officers found him and took him into custody.

"I said, 'you okay?' She goes, 'I got stabbed!' You got stabbed?" Alan Rado said after the attack.

The woman's husband said she initially thought she was being punched from behind and then realized she was being stabbed. He said a nearby pedestrian saw the incident and rushed to help her, going so far as to open their suitcase and use their own clothes to help staunch the bleeding.

"She said, 'somebody put their arm around me and I thought he was punching me in the back and on my neck, then I realized there was blood on the sidewalk and it was mine, and then I realized I was being stabbed," Alan said.

Rado was taken to the Northwestern Medical Center in critical condition. Her husband said she was in surgery and as far as he had been told she was expected to be okay. He said they live just a few blocks from Union Station.

Police said they were able to recover a sharp object from the scene and the attack appears to be random.

"Supposedly he dropped the knife and took off so there was no conversation," Alan said. "There was nothing."

Cell phone video captured the moment police captured the alleged attacker with the help of Good Samaritans. One of them told ABC7 that he and another man chased the suspect and cornered him in a nearby parking garage.

Barreno is due in court Friday for a detention hearing.

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