New details emerge as to why a man with a hatchet attacked a victim before entering Corona gym

Jessica De Nova Image
Thursday, March 16, 2023
New details emerge as to how a man with hatchet terrorized Corona gym
A good Samaritan who helped tackle a man with a hatchet in a Corona gym says his adrenaline did not kick in until afterwards, when he saw how bad the attack was.

CORONA, Calif. (KABC) -- Officials have released more information as to what caused the scary scene in a Corona Planet Fitness where a man held a bloodied victim at knifepoint before being held down by good Samaritans.

In the shocking video, the suspect, identified as 30-year-old Ronald Chand of Santa Ana, can be heard yelling "Please respect us. Give me water. I need water," before the 41-year-old victim from Riverside tackled his attacker.

Officers with the Corona Police Department say the victim was transported to a local hospital with significant but non-life threatening injuries to his upper body.

The victim has since been released from the hospital.

Officials say the altercation began in the parking lot of the shopping center when the victim encountered the suspect acting erratically, leading the victim to begin recording the suspect.

The suspect grew agitated, blocked the victim's car with his own car and stabbed the victim several times before entering the Planet Fitness, detectives told Eyewitness News.

That is when a shocked gym member began recording the video of the two inside.

After the victim tackled the suspect, he began to fight back, causing a few good Samaritans to leap onto the suspect and hold him down until police arrived.

"I got him on his back and I held his arm down so Steve could take the knife from him," said John Keene, one of the good Samaritans who jumped to tackle the suspect. "And then there was hatchet there too and we handed it to somebody else and they took it away from the scene."

Keene said his adrenaline didn't start pumping until it was all over, when he looked around and saw how bad the situation really was.

For Keene, the incident is a reminder to always be on the lookout for possible danger.

"When you pull up into any parking lot, look around to see who is around," said Keene. "Always be watching. Be willing to help other people, too."

Police commend the good Samaritans who helped the victim in this case, but they say people who encounter someone acting erratically should leave them be and call the police.