A woman armed with a box cutter slashed the neck of a shopper at a Walgreens in San Diego on Saturday, leaving the victim with a life-threatening injury, police said.

The attack occurred about 9:15 a.m. as the victim was browsing the cosmetics aisle at the drugstore on Camino Ruiz north of Mira Mesa Boulevard, said San Diego police Officer Tony Martinez.

The alleged assailant, a 55-year-old woman, first threatened to hurt the victim, Martinez said. She then grabbed the customer by her hair, pulled her head back and sliced her neck, he said.

Employees and customers inside the store witnessed the attack and disarmed the assailant, detaining her for officers. The woman was arrested on an attempted murder charge. Her name was not immediately released.


The victim, 59, was taken to a hospital. Her condition was not immediately available.

