Los Angeles police investigators are searching for suspects in what they say was a gang-related attack that left a pregnant first-grade teacher with 10 stab wounds Wednesday evening.
KTLA reported that the woman, identified by local media as 33-year-old Tanya Nguyen, was parked on the street in front of her home when the carjacking took place. Her husband, Greg Maga, told the news station three people came "absolutely out of nowhere" and asked Nguyen for her cellphone.
The Los Angeles Daily News reported that one of the men stabbed her repeatedly in the chest when they did not get her phone. The men then stole her car, crashing it a short time later.
One of the stab wounds went all the way through Nguyen's lung, Maga told KTLA.
"She's alive," he said Thursday morning. "She's badly injured. She's going through surgery as we speak."
Maga told reporters another wound went through his wife’s nose.
"Because she's pregnant, she tried to protect herself from the stabbing," Maga said, according to the Daily News. "She used her hand, so she has a lot of stabs on her hand. We don't know yet about the baby."
An ultrasound was planned for after Nguyen’s surgery to determine if the couple’s 12-week-old fetus sustained any wounds.
Nguyen's condition, which was initially listed as critical, has been upgraded to stable condition, KTLA reported.
Maga said he was driving home from work when a neighbor called and told him about the attack.
"I was just panicked and completely helpless, because I was stuck in traffic," Maga told the news station.
He said neighbors aided his wife until emergency crews arrived and took over.
"It's a tight community and great neighborhood," Maga said. "People know each other."
As of Thursday, two men were in custody in connection with the stabbing and carjacking, a Los Angeles police spokesman said. Lt. Frank Kryshak said an undisclosed number of additional suspects were sought.
Kryshak described the attack as "animalistic," KTLA reported.
“I get choked up even talking now about it,” the lieutenant said.
Each of the suspects in custody is being held in lieu of $2 million bail, the news station reported.
"The chief is making this a priority," Kryshak said Thursday, according to the Daily News. "We are making this a priority here at Foothill (Station). We've been working on this case nonstop since last night, and we will continue to do that. Sometimes we use the term 'imminent.' In this case it is imminent -- we are going to make arrests with the other outstanding individuals."
The names of those charged were not immediately released.
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