Arrest records identify Dustin Crawford, 42, as the man accused of stabbing a senior Fresno County prosecutor Thursday afternoon at Courthouse Park in downtown Fresno.

He was booked on felony charges of attempted murder and attempted murder of a public official, along with a misdemeanor charge of obstructing a public officer. His bail was set at $1 million.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office confirmed his identity in a news release Friday.

The stabbing was reported at 1:13 p.m., according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies assigned to the courts responded to the park to help the victim and search for the suspect.

Three minutes later, deputies took Crawford into custody near Fresno Street and Van Ness Avenue. Deputies used a Taser while making the arrest and recovered a weapon from him, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Fresno County DA Speaks Out

Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp later identified the victim Thursday as a senior deputy district attorney and said he was taken to Community Regional Medical Center, where he was receiving medical care and being evaluated.

“We are outraged and deeply saddened by the brazen stabbing of one of our Senior Deputy District Attorneys this afternoon in Courthouse Park,” Smittcamp said in a statement.

Smittcamp thanked the sheriff’s deputies who responded, apprehended Crawford and assisted at the scene, along with the medical personnel treating the prosecutor.

“There is no place in our community for violence against those who serve it,” Smittcamp said. “Our prosecutors come to work every day committed to pursuing justice, standing up for victims and protecting our community. They should be able to do their jobs without fear of violence.”

The District Attorney’s Office declined to release the prosecutor’s name out of respect for him and his family.

“Our thoughts are with him and his loved ones, and our entire office is standing together in support of them during this difficult time,” Smittcamp said.

The Sheriff’s Office and the Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium are investigating the stabbing and working to determine a possible motive, according to Smittcamp.

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