Police: Valet supervisor’s quick action stopped attack

Warren — Parking valet supervisor Didarul Sarder said he didn’t think twice about pulling out his handgun when he witnessed an alleged stabbing Wednesday morning outside the lobby of the GM Technical Center.

“My first reaction was to try to save this woman’s life,” said the Warren resident.

Warren officials said Sarder’s quick action stopped the attack involving a 32-year-old woman who allegedly stabbed her 52-year-old mother multiple times.

“He pulled out his concealed weapon and stopped the assault,” said Warren Mayor Jim Fouts said of Sarder, who has a license to carry a concealed weapon.

The stabbing occurred around 9:17 a.m. outside a building at the tech center at 30001 Van Dyke Ave. It left the 52-year-old woman hospitalized in critical condition, police said. She was to undergo surgery Wednesday.

The stabbing followed an altercation that began in the lobby of the facility’s main building, Fouts said.

“A female came to the visitor’s desk in the lobby and asked for a specific female. They called the female employee down, they spoke for a few minutes in the lobby,” Fouts said. “They walked outside and then the visitor began assaulting the victim.”

Fouts said the attacker allegedly used a steak knife to stab the victim multiple times in the neck, abdomen and back.

Sarder, 32, said he was in a meeting when valet drivers began banging on the door.

“They said, ‘We need help.’ ‘We need help,’ ” Sarder said.

He said he ran outside, saw the attack and unholstered his handgun. He said he told the suspect to drop her knife and she did.

Sarder said he put his gun back in its holster after determining the woman was no longer a threat. He then called 911.

Police, who were nearby, arrived and arrested the suspect, said Warren Police Commissioner Jere Green.

Authorities have not identified the suspect or victim.

The woman involved are mother and daughter, Green said.

The victim was taken to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.

The suspect has been uncooperative with police, Green said. He said he expects her to be arraigned on charges Thursday.

After the incident Sarder, who said he works for Chicago-based contractor SP Plus, said he was told by someone in GM management to leave the premises.

In response to initial media reports that he had been fired, Sarder said that is not the case. He said he expects to hear Thursday if he can return to work at the tech center.

Sarder said this was the first time he has had to pull out his weapon.

“I’m winding down,” he said Wednesday evening. “It took a while to soak in.”

GM officials early Wednesday indicated they were seeking more information about the incident.

“We are looking into the details,” GM spokesman Michael Albano said.

The stabbing marked the first violent incident to take place at the facility, Fouts said. “It’s unprecedented, unexpected and unbelievable,” he said.

The entrance to the building where the attack took place is visible from the mayor’s office, he said.

“Had I been looking, I could have viewed this attack taking place,” Fouts said. “You just don’t expect something like this to take place.”

Staff Writer Michael Martinez contributed.