PETERSBURG, Va. -- A 20-year-old man walked into a plasma center in Virginia and asked to use a restroom. Then he went on a stabbing rampage with a weapon similar to a machete, wounding four people, police said.

The suspect hid the weapon as he entered the Octapharma Plasma center in Petersburg on Thursday, according to police Capt. Emanuel Chambliss.

He described the weapon as similar to a machete, saying police are not sure what it is.

The suspect waited for police to arrive

When the stabbings started, some people fled through the back door and called the police.

After the attack, the suspect did not try to run. "He was sitting in a chair waiting for us," Chambliss said.

He was arrested at the scene without incident and police don't know of a motive for the attack. The suspect, who has not been identified, is a previous donor at the clinic, police said. The investigation is still active.

Two victims are in serious condition

Three women and one man were transported to a local hospital, and two were in serious condition after surgery Thursday night. Two victims were treated and released.

Later Thursday evening, officers searched the suspect's home, which is nearby, reported WTVR.

The commotion startled neighbors, who told the TV station they saw an ambulance, firefighters and police at the residence Wednesday. </s> PETERSBURG, Va. — A police dispatcher in Virginia said a man with a long knife stabbed three people inside a plasma donation center as nurses and patients hid inside a bathroom.

The dispatcher warned officers that witnesses said the man was attacking people with a machete Thursday in the Octapharma Plasma center in Petersburg, Virginia.

A first responder could be heard saying that one of the victims lost a finger.

Hospital officials said Thursday that one male was in critical condition, a female was in fair condition and a female was in good condition.

Irene Banks told WWBT that police praised her daughter, a manager there, for stopping the attacker before officers arrested him.

A Virginia prosecutor said the man could be charged at a minimum with malicious wounding. </s> The Latest: Prosecutor says man stabs 3 at plasma center

PETERSBURG, Va. (AP) — The Latest on a triple stabbing at a plasma center in Petersburg, Virginia (all times local):

A Virginia prosecutor says a 20-year-old man walked into a plasma donation center in Petersburg and randomly stabbed three people during a community appreciation cookout, then waited outside for police.

Petersburg police identified the suspect as Jairique Shannon. He's been charged with three counts of malicious wounding in the attack Thursday at Octapharma Plasma.

Commonwealth's Attorney Cheryl Wilson said the suspect had donated plasma at the center in the past. She said he walked into the center Thursday and asked to use the restroom, then came out and began stabbing people with a long knife.

Wilson said police don't believe he had a grudge against any employee of the center and don't have a motive for the attack.

A spokesperson for Southside Regional Medical Center said two victims were being treated there. Wilson said a third victim received serious injuries and was transferred to a hospital in Richmond.

Wilson said Shannon doesn't yet have an attorney. He's being held at Riverside Regional Jail and is expected to be arraigned in court Monday.

A police dispatcher in Virginia said a man with a long knife stabbed three people inside a plasma donation center as nurses and patients hid inside a bathroom.

The dispatcher warned officers that witnesses said the man was attacking people with a machete Thursday in the Octapharma Plasma center in Petersburg, Virginia.

A first responder could be heard saying that one of the victims lost a finger.

Hospital officials said Thursday that one male was in critical condition, a female was in fair condition and a female was in good condition.

Irene Banks told WWBT that police praised her daughter, a manager there, for stopping the attacker before officers arrested him.

A Virginia prosecutor said the man could be charged at a minimum with malicious wounding. </s> PETERSBURG, Va. (AP) - A man stabbed three people at a Virginia plasma center while patrons were donating blood, according to authorities.

News reports said one person suffered life-threatening injuries after an unidentified man with a machete attacked people inside the Octapharma Plasma center in Petersburg, Virginia, on Thursday.

“The suspect possibly has a machete. Units use caution,” the dispatcher can be heard saying on the recording released by broadcastify.com.

A first responder could be heard saying that one of the victims lost a finger.

The dispatcher described a chaotic scene as customers and staff members fled for cover. The business sits in a commercial district near a bank and restaurants on the south side of the city about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Richmond.

Petersburg Police Lt. Dustin Sloan told reporters Thursday that after officers arrived, the suspect was taken into custody without incident. His name wasn’t immediately released but police indicated he could face charges of aggravated assault.

Sloan said that the attack happened as patrons were inside donating blood.

Hospital officials said Thursday that one male was in critical condition, a female was in fair condition and a female was in good condition. Petersburg Police said in a tweet that at least one victim’s injuries were considered life-threatening.

Irene Banks told WWBT that police praised her daughter, a manager there, as a “hero” for stopping the attacker before officers arrested him.

“She took the man down, they said, my daughter did,” Banks told the television station. </s> PETERSBERG, Va. -- One person is in custody after several people were stabbed Thursday inside a plasma center in Petersburg, Virginia, according to WTVR.

The incident happened at the Octapharma Plasma center on Sycamore Street, police Chief Kenneth Miller told WTVR. </s> One suspect is in custody after a stabbing left several people injured at a plasma center in Petersburg, Virginia, officials said. Police chief Kenneth Miller said the stabbing happened inside the Octapharma Plasma center, CBS Norfolk affiliate WTVR reported.

Detectives are interviewing several people at the scene and continuing to investigate the incident. It's unclear how many people were injured.

People leaving the plasma center who appeared to work there said they couldn't discuss the incident with WTVR due to company policy.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates. </s> One person is in custody after several people were stabbed Thursday inside a plasma center in Petersburg, Virginia, according to CNN affiliate WTVR. </s> Reports: Several stabbed at blood plasma center in Virginia

PETERSBURG, Va. (AP) — Authorities say several people were stabbed at a blood plasma donation center in Virginia.

WTVR TV quotes Petersburg Police Chief Kenneth Miller as saying that a suspect was taken into custody after the stabbing Thursday inside the Octapharma Plasma center in Petersburg. The city is located about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of the capital of Richmond.

Miller did not identify the suspect and did not say how many people were stabbed or how serious their injuries are. No further details were immediately available. </s> Company said the Sycamore Street location will remain closed until further notice; suspect is ID'ed by police

PETERSBURG — The parent company of a plasma-donor center where three people were stabbed Thursday afternoon says it is "heartbroken" over the attack and has vowed to work with authorities "to provide any help and information" in the investigation.

Octapharma Plasma said in a social-media post that the Petersburg center where the attack occurred "is closed to the public at this time. No date of reopening has been set.

"Our sole focus remains on supporting those involved and impacted in Thursday’s event," the statement said.

Twenty-year-old Jairque L. Shannon has been charged with three counts of malicious wounding in the incident, which took place around 4:40 p.m. at the center, located at 2007 S. Sycamore St. in the city's Walnut Hill business district. He also has been charged with animal cruelty on an unrelated incident.

Two of the victims that were stabbed remained hospitalized Friday, according to a Petersburg Police statement. One of them is in critical condition, and the other is stable.

Police have not released a motive for the incident. They also have not disclosed the type of blade used in the stabbings, but initial accounts indicated it was a machete.

On Friday morning, a crew from Richmond-area Aftermath Services LLC was on site to seal the office and prepare it for cleaning. They could not give an estimate on how long the clean-up will take. "We'll know more once we get in there," one of them said.

Caution tape blocked the entrance to the center. The crews placed blue tape around the glass entrance doors, then placed a tarp over the entrance.

Octapharma Plasma is a medical business that pays customers for donating plasma. According to its website, the company uses the plasma to create medicine used to treat immune disorders and trauma cases.

The Petersburg location is one of eight donor centers in Virginia. Others are located in Richmond, Lynchburg and the Tidewater region.

Octapharma shares the building, nestled between South Sycamore Street and South Crater Road, with a renal-care facility, a vapor shop and an insurance agency. In past years, the building was home to an A&P supermarket and a Blockbuster Video rental store.

The insurance agency was closed for the July 4 holiday. The renal-care center was open Thursday, but the office hours listed on its doors had it closing that day at 3:30 p.m., about an hour before the attack happened.

An attempt to contact the owner of the vapor shop next door to Octapharma to determine if it was open Thursday was unsuccessful.

Another business in the immediate vicinity is Sal's Pizza, across the parking lot from Octapharma. That also was closed Thursday. A sign on the door said the building is under 24-hour video surveillance, but workers inside the restaurant Friday said those cameras are focused only on the restaurant, not on the shared parking lot.

In its statement, Octapharma's corporate office praised Petersburg Police for handling the matter efficiently.

"We want to express our appreciation for the quick response from the local Petersburg police department, as well as the overwhelming outpouring of support from donors and employees across the country," it said.

Bill Atkinson can be reached at 804-722-5167 or batkinson@progress-index.com. On Twitter: @BAtkinsonpi
A 20-year-old man is charged with stabbing three in a machete attack in a plasma center in Petersburg, Virginia.