Authorities in Cambria County have released new details about the investigation into last week’s stabbing in downtown Johnstown that sent one person to the hospital.
On Friday, police charged 16-year-old Damond Maher with felony aggravated assault, and other related charges, after he was accused of stabbing a woman on Somerset Street Thursday evening.
According to the affidavit, police say officers were dispatched to the area for a report of a woman who had been stabbed by an individual who was wearing a mask.
Police say the woman was transported to Conemaugh Hospital after suffering multiple stab wounds to her arm and armpit.
Authorities say doctors noted that the woman “could have potentially died” due to the amount of blood loss that she suffered in the attack.
Upon further investigation, police located the suspect, later identified as Maher, inside an abandoned home along the 600 block of Kennedy Ave.
Police say Maher was reportedly standing near a window while wearing a “Michael Myers” mask and was allegedly holding a bloody knife.
Investigators say Maher was initially “unresponsive” with police and reportedly “shook his head no” when officers asked if he could speak.
Police say Maher later admitted to stabbing the woman at random and claimed that the incident all started after he got into an argument with his dad.
According to the complaint, police say Maher told officers that he was tired of his dad yelling at him but he did not want to hurt him (his dad), so he decided to hurt someone else.
Police also noted that during one of their interviews with Maher, he reportedly stated that he had “transformed into Michael Myers” and that he had “no remorse” for stabbing the woman.
Authorities say Maher has been charged as an adult and, according to online court records, he is being held at the Cambria County Prison on $250,000 bail.