Woman arrested in downtown Spokane stabbing

In an attack that a prosecutor described as “seemingly random,” a woman was stabbed in the back Sunday night in downtown Spokane.

The woman was sitting at a picnic table with several others in an alley near the Hope House at 111 W. Third Ave. Shortly after 7:30 p.m. she felt a sharp pain in her lower back and turned around to see another woman “looking at her with an angry look on her face,” according to court documents.

A witness said the assailant “wasn’t running, she was just standing there like she wanted to finish the job,” court documents say.

The suspect, later identified as Naomi J. Zent, 18, was arrested about nine minutes later in the same area, court documents say. The victim told detectives she had seen Zent several times but did not know her name.

The 5-inch hunting knife was still protruding from the victim’s back when paramedics arrived. It was surgically removed at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, where the victim was listed in satisfactory condition Monday afternoon.

On Saturday night, a security guard stopped Zent at the STA Plaza in downtown Spokane after she allegedly displayed the same knife on a bus. The guard told police he removed Zent from the plaza and gave her back the knife and a black sheath.

Court documents indicate that Zent has been homeless for the past four months, has a history of drug abuse and hasn’t been taking medication to treat her bipolar disorder. In 2012, she was convicted on misdemeanor assault and malicious mischief charges.

Zent is being held in the Spokane County Jail on a $100,000 bond. She faces a first-degree assault charge.