Jefferson Parish deputies are searching for a man who brutally attacked a gas station cashier Friday morning in Metairie.
The victim’s husband said she could have easily lost her life as a result of the attack.
The attack happened around 3 a.m. at a Shell station at the intersection of Clearview Parkway and West Esplanade Avenue.
The cashier, a 49-year-old woman, was repeatedly stabbed and beaten and is in stable condition and recovering at a nearby hospital.
Police say the attack happened when a man walked into the station and started yelling and screaming.
He then, for “no apparent reason,” began attacking the cashier.
She was stabbed several times and beaten.
The victim’s husband said the attack was extremely violent. He described what he said is shown on surveillance video from inside of the store.
“He comes in, I don't know if he hit her with his hand, with the bottle or if he threw it at her head, jumped over the counter and started stabbing her violently with a knife.
“There were two knives. One knife was broken off. He hit her in the head with a hammer.
“She has 22 lacerations from the stab wounds, the knife. She's got a chipped skull from the hammer. She has a fractured nose and a fractured finger.
“She's under sedation from the shock and the pain. I don't know how to feel. I feel numb like this is not really happening," the victim’s husband said.
The man said his wife fought back. He said that may have saved her life.
The attacker fled the scene on foot and a search in ongoing.
The suspect is described as a black male, 35-40 years old, standing six feet tall, and weighing approximately 225 pounds, with long dreads. He was wearing a white long sleeve shirt, reddish-orange pants with brown shoes.
A statement released by the company expressed sympathy for the victim:
“On behalf of the Diaz Family and all of our employees, our thoughts and prayers are focused on … full recovery,” said Giselle Diaz Eastlack, General Manager. “We want to express our deep gratitude to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff Deputies for their quick response. Since this is an on-going investigation by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, we will have no further comment on this incident. Any questions should be directed to the JPSO."