Homeless man hailed a hero in Kenmore convenience store attack

KENMORE, Wash. -- Authorities say a 52-year-old clerk was stabbed Monday at a Kenmore convenience store by a 15-year-old boy who was also stabbed during the altercation.

It happened at the Town Market in the area of NE 181st Street and 68th Avenue.

The King County Sheriff's Office says the clerk was stabbed by the 15-year-old. During the encounter, the suspect was also stabbed.

Both people were rushed to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, according to King County Sheriff's Deputies. Their conditions were upgraded to serious on Tuesday.

"I’m just shocked," said Brian Cho who told Q13 News his sister and her husband own the store. "They called me ten minutes ago I got a call from my sister I was like, 'What?' I’m kind of scared."

Deputies from Shoreline responded to help law enforcement officers from Kenmore investigate the incident.

Detectives say a homeless man living in a tent behind the market was the one who intervened and held the suspect down until police arrived.

That man, Steven Degroot told us he didn't think twice about running in the store after his wife said she heard blood curdling screams for help.

"Really I didn't think about it, I was just worried about the clerk. I saw all the blood, you couldn't even see his face that's how bad his wounds were...the store clerk was screaming 'help me! help me' so I pinned the guy down to the floor and had the store clerk move back and try to stop the bleeding," said Degroot.

Degroot says the clerk is a good man and there was no way he could stand up and let him die, especially in what appears to be such a senseless attack.

Investigators say both men are still in the hospital.