A 42-year-old Oklahoma man has been arrested after allegedly slashing the throat of a woman on a city bus in Tulsa in what authorities describe as an unprovoked attack.
Robert J. Rhoades was arrested over the weekend and charged with one count of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of false impersonation, authorities said.
According to a Tulsa Police Department news release, officers responded to a report of a stabbing at a bus station in the 300 block of S. Cheyenne Avenue around 1:09 p.m. on Sunday.
Police officers in the area reported that witnesses alerted them to an adult male suspect seen leaving the scene on foot and “provided a direction of travel.” Officers patrolling the area on bicycles immediately began looking for the suspect, later identified as Rhoades, and found him a short time later at 100 S. Denver Avenue, where he was taken into custody without incident.
Police said Rhoades’ clothing had “visible blood” on it, and a “bloody knife” was found in his pocket during a search.
The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital. Her injuries were so severe that detectives from the Homicide Unit were dispatched to the scene.
“Witnesses, including the bus driver, informed us that both Rhoades and the 43-year-old female victim boarded the bus at the Walmart stop on 81st and Lewis,” according to a police release. “Rhoades sat directly behind her; they had no previous interactions or verbal exchanges. As the bus arrived at the main station, Rhoades allegedly slashed the victim’s throat before fleeing the scene.
The victim had emergency surgery for her injuries. The doctors who operated on her told authorities that she was stabilized and that they were “hopeful” for a full recovery.
Investigators said they are also waiting for security footage from a camera inside the bus.
In addition to the charges, Rhoades is being held on a fugitive from justice warrant from Missouri, according to police.
According to records, he is currently in custody at the Tulsa County Jail without bond.
It was unclear when Rhoades would make his first appearance in court.
