In October 1979, after his resignation, a knife-wielding assailant attacked and cut Bell several times while he was off-duty in the cathedral's chancery, which was then located two blocks north of the state capitol. He was stabbed twice before his secretary, Jean Tamaki, found William Luthin attacking the bishop with a "dagger-like" knife. Tamaki was able to pull Luthin away by his shirt because the attacker was of "medium or small build." Bell had been in his office preparing for a trip to see Pope John Paul II in Chicago, Illinois. Luthin surrendered himself at a hospital and was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Police arrested Luthin as a suspect because he told nurses, "Call somebody. I stabbed a priest." A knife was found on the office couch together with the sales receipt from a nearby store. Bell was held overnight at Mercy General Hospital with hand and rib wounds. Luthin had seen the bishop earlier that day and reportedly complained about being excommunicated. The bishop's trip to meet the pope was canceled.