A photo of the incident's aftermath posted to Twitter by WIBW-TV reporter Amanda Lanum. (via CJOnline.com)
Topeka police say a knife-wielding man suspected of breaking into TV station WIBW has been booked into jail after receiving medical treatment. Topeka police Captain Brian Desch said in a news release that the suspect is homeless. He was booked Wednesday afternoon on suspicion of six counts, including aggravated battery and burglary. The Topeka Capital-Journal reported that several employees of WIBW-TV were injured Wednesday morning when a man with a knife broke into the studios and threatened to kill the staff. None of the injuries was considered life-threatening. WIBW-TV news director Jon Janes told the Capital-Journal in an interview that the man had come to the studios to complain about the Department of Veterans Affairs, which he said was not providing services he needed. Janes said he told the man the TV station was not in a position to aid him, and suggested he seek help elsewhere. Janes says he decided against notifying police about the incident after watching the man walk away from the building, located at 631 S.W. Commerce Place. Staff members reportedly heard a loud crash toward the front of the building a short time later. Janes told the newspaper that the man had taken a lamp from the atrium area, broke through a locked security door and ran down a hall toward the back of the building. According to Janes's account, the man then pushed him, knocking the news director's head into the wall. Several employees then restrained the man.
The Capital-Journal quotes Janes as saying, “As we were holding the man down, he yelled, ‘I’m going to kill all of you.’”
Janes said multiple employees were needed to hold the man down. One employee then cautioned the others that the man had a knife. Two employees were stabbed — one in the side and one in the leg — receiving minor injuries. They were taken to the hospital by ambulance. The assailant also reportedly bit several employees. Police took the man to a hospital for treatment, and later took him into custody.