This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Two people stabbed Thursday outside a Salt Lake City grocery store were allegedly attacked by a man with a lengthy criminal history who had been released from jail earlier this week.
Kiet Thanh Ly, 34, was booked back into the Salt Lake County jail Thursday night and is being held without bail on suspicion of assault and attempted murder.
Police Lt. Brian Purvis said that about 5:20 p.m. Thursday, Ly entered Smith's Marketplace at 455 S. 500 East and purchased a kitchen knife. He said Ly exited the store along 600 East.
A police news release said Ly stabbed a 30-year-old man "several times" in the abdomen, then attacked a 45-year-old man who suffered cuts to his arms and head. A probable cause statement added that Ly threatened and chased four other people in the parking lot.
A 47-year-old man with a man with a concealed-carry permit drew his pistol, ordered Ly to stop and held him at gunpoint until officers could arrive.
Both stabbing victims were in critical condition Friday morning, according to the police.
Ly admitted to the stabbings after he was arrested, police say.On Monday, Ly had pleaded guilty in state court in Salt Lake City to misdemeanor counts of joyriding and possessing someone else's identifying documents, a court docket shows. He was transported from the jail for that hearing, and Judge Denise Lindberg freed him until sentencing on June 18.
Also in state court in Salt Lake City, Ly has pending misdemeanor charges of sexually battery and lewdness.
Ly also has misdemeanor convictions in Utah for attempted assault, attempted assault against a police officer, theft and drug possession.
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A closer look
On Thursday outside a Salt Lake City grocery store, Kiet Thanh Ly, 34, stabbed a 30-year-old man several times in the abdomen, then attacked a 45-year-old man who suffered cuts to his arms and head, according to a police news release.