Topeka police say a Wednesday crime spree left 17 victims, including three people stabbed and a woman allegedly raped along S.W. Fillmore. The suspect, Adam Schwegman, is accused of breaking into two homes, one of them with four children and a four-month-old baby inside. The spree also included a third stabbing and an attack on a 70-year-old woman at Ward Meade Park, according to investigators.
That last stop at the park is where the story turned. Bystander Ron Hubbard spotted Schwegman running from the park and made a split-second decision. He tripped the fleeing suspect, then kicked the dropped knife toward the sidewalk. Schwegman got up and ran, but police caught him soon after. Hubbard later said he wished someone could have stopped it sooner.
Schwegman is now facing 16 charges, including aggravated battery and rape, and a judge set bond at $3 million following his Oct. 29 court appearance. For those of us on the Suncoast, the case raises a familiar question about how we look out for each other, in our parks, our beaches, and our neighborhoods. If you saw something dangerous unfolding, what would you do?
