ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg Police arrested a man accused of attacking a woman with a table knife on Wednesday evening.
The attack happened around 10:40 p.m.
WATCH: 18-year-old Florida man accused of attacking women with table knife arrested: St. Pete police
The St. Petersburg Police Department (SPPD) said two women were walking in the downtown area in front of the open-air post office at 76 4th Street North.
Officers said Rodrigo Lugo Romero attacked one of the women with a table knife.
Rose Reynolds and Samantha Fenwick heard the women scream and ran over to help.
Reynolds said she used her purse to hit Romero.
"It was two young ladies. I have nieces the same age. We just both went after him. He was beating her. I ran up and I was the first one there and I hit him with my purse as hard as I possibly could," said Reynolds.
Fenwick said she tried pulling the suspect off the victim. She also tried kicking him numerous times, but he continued to attack the victim with a table knife.
Police said the victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries to her head, but the other woman was unharmed.
At least six people tried to help. Two men saw the commotion. They pulled their car over, got out, and held the suspect until police arrived.
"I think this is one of the more remarkable things about this case is that this was a woman in distress, screaming, her friend screaming for help and people came to help. Other women were the first to come and help," said Yolanda Fernandez with St. Petersburg Police.
Romero faces charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault.
The victim and suspect do not know each other, according to police.
"This was a very serious attack, and he did not know these women, and there was no exchange between him and the women before it happened. There was no warning when the attack happened," said Fernandez.
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