Howard County police have charged a 20-year-old man in the assault of an elderly woman on a Columbia walking trail last week, the department announced Monday.
Traquan Malik Waller, of no fixed address, is charged with attempted murder, assault and reckless endangerment, according to police.
Police were called to the 7000 block of Cradlerock Way at around 6:35 a.m. Wednesday for a report that an 80-year-old woman had been injured, according to a news release. Investigators determined the woman was on a morning walk when Waller came up behind her, stabbed her in the neck and fled, the department wrote. Police said Waller did not say anything to the woman or take anything from her.
The woman was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore and later released.
The Howard County Police Department said investigators were able to identify Waller after matching his clothing to the suspect description and locating a knife at the scene.
Police believe this was a random act with no motive for the attack.
Waller is currently hospitalized on an unrelated issue and will be detained at that facility until he can be discharged and transported to the Howard County Detention Center for booking. Police did not say why Waller is hospitalized.