REDMOND, Wash. — A Microsoft employee is behind bars and awaiting his arraignment after being charged with attempted murder.
Court documents accuse Joseph Cantrell, a 27-year-old Microsoft employee, of allegedly stabbing another employee at an intersection near the campus Wednesday, seemingly at random.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney's office said Monday a "significant sentence" is possible if Cantrell is convicted, regardless of the fact that he had no prior felonies in the state of Washington.
An employee of Microsoft also told KING 5 the company has increased security on the campus since Wednesday's vicious attack.
Last week, multiple witnesses called 911 to report the attack in Redmond near the end of the workday. One of them, who preferred to stay anonymous due to safety concerns, said she watched it happen from the sixth floor.
"It was punching, and the person who was on the ground, obviously fighting back," the Microsoft employee said. It was not until later that she said she saw the knife in their hand.
The victim is 26 years old and is a Microsoft employee. While speaking with police in the hospital, he said he was merely standing at the crosswalk at an intersection near Microsoft when he saw the suspect walking toward him. He said he was shouting things, but he was not sure what and saw him continue to approach out of the corner of his eye.
The victim suddenly felt a knife stabbing him repeatedly, according to the court documents.
"The office was quiet, and I hear these sounds that I initially thought was a dog that was hit by a car," the witness said. "It was, 'Ahh! Ahh!' It was really scary. And I turn looking for the dog on the street and I see these two people struggling, almost -- ya know -- falling down, one to the other."
That is when the 26-year-old victim suddenly felt a knife stabbing his neck, head and multiple other areas on the right side of his body, according to court docs.
"When the victim collapses, I see the blood on the sidewalk, and I see the whole thing," the witness said. "I was shocked."
But here's the part she finds most concerning: the victim told police he did not know the suspect, nor did the two work in the same building or workgroup.
"Why is this person a target?" the witness said. "Based on what? Then anybody can be a target. You don't know what the motive is, then who is the target? Am I a target?"
Cantrell was allegedly able to "inflict over a dozen stab wounds," according to prosecutors. He was arrested after prosecutors said he allegedly left a blood trail leading to his apartment.
Casey McNerthney, a spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, said Monday they rush-filed the case because of the egregiousness of the crime.
"We argued that this person is somebody who is a danger and needs to be held on $2 million bail," McNerthney said. "And we're grateful that a judge agreed with that. When you have this level of violence, we need to make sure that public safety is number one."
Cantrell will appear in court for an arraignment on March 9.
"Even somebody who doesn't have a felony history, if they're convicted that's charged with attempted murder, that's a significant sentence," McNerthney said.
Cantrell remains in the King County Jail and the victim is recovering.
Meanwhile, the witness said Microsoft has been increasing security and offering mental health services to make employees feel safe and supported.
KING 5 reached out to Microsoft for an interview, but they declined.