Career criminal accused of stabbing Asian passenger nearly 20 times in Seattle train attack

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A man with convictions dating back to 2002 is facing new charges after allegedly stabbing a Seattle light rail passenger last month.

What happened: The incident, which was caught on security video, occurred near Othello Station on July 21. The victim, identified as Tin Vi Pham, 51, was sitting toward the back of the train when Ishmail Brown, 41, allegedly began stabbing him without provocation.

Pham was “essentially trapped” in his seat as Brown “plunged the knife down from above, over and over again,” wrote King County Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Brynn Jacobson in a court filing. Upon realizing what was happening, other passengers scrambled to help Pham, with one using his bag as a shield.

The aftermath: Pham suffered 18 stab wounds. He was rushed to Harborview Medical Center and released later, according to the Seattle Times. Meanwhile, Brown, who was arrested on the scene, was initially “declined” at the jail and likewise sent to the hospital, Fox News reported.

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Charges: Brown has been charged with first- and second-degree assault. He is now behind bars with bail set at $1.5 million.

Records show Brown has a lengthy rap sheet, with felony convictions from 2008 for second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and 2016 for second-degree arson. His misdemeanor convictions include reckless driving in 2002, reckless driving/racing in 2004 and a 2014 domestic violence no contact order violation, as per Fox News.

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