Teen Stabbed Multiple Times by Coworker

Safety at Work

Shawnee, OK (WorkersCompensation.com) – An 18-year-old girl was in critical condition last week after an obsessed co-worker stabbed her more than a dozen times.

That attack was one of several over the past few weeks where co-workers attacked co-workers.

Officials in Pottawatomie County, Okla., said the girl was stabbed 14 times as she was coming home from work around 1 a.m. Her brother ultimately stepped in to save her.

The incident began when someone wearing a ski mask approached the girl while she was trying to get into the front door of her family home in Shawnee on the morning of Nov. 16.

"Someone with a ski mask came up to my daughter on the porch. She was eating a burger and what did he do? He started stabbing her, and he said he was so sorry. He said, 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry,' and he started stabbing her," the victim’s mother told 911 operators.

Police said the attacker, a co-worker who was obsessed with the teenager, hid and waited for her to be alone before he assaulted her. Although the girl made it clear she had no interest in him, the man continued to pursue her.

When the victim began screaming, it woke her mother and brother in the house. Police said her brother sprang to action and intervened between the victim and the attacker, likely saving her life. The brother was also injured in the attack.

The attacker was quickly identified as someone the victim had worked with at the movie theater in Shawnee. Officials said the victim had complained about the suspect, 24-year-old Ronaldo Zavala, and his obsessive behavior to the theater’s management. Manager’s then fired Zavala.

"He was just obsessed with this female. She had no interest whatsoever, and it just drove him to the brink of committing this crime," Capt. Jared Strand, Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office public information officer.

Police were able to identify the suspect and obtain a search warrant for his home where they found evidence of his involvement in the attack.

Zavala is in jail and is charged with assault and battery while disguised. As the investigation continues, more charges are expected. Police said the young girl and her employer did everything right in both coming forward, and for the employer terminating Zavala’s employment after she reported her concerns.

"Anything like this, please report it to us immediately. Even though it may appear not to be a big deal and it's someone who may have a crush on you or whatever it is, call us so we can take an information report, so we have all this information documented," he said.

The girl suffered wounds to her neck, wrist, face and lungs and was in critical condition as of Nov. 19.

In Minnesota, a man has been arrested for using a sledgehammer to kill a female coworker.

According to the Wright County, Minn. Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to Advanced Process Technologies in Cokato after a woman was discovered at her workstation with severe head trauma. When deputies arrived, they found 20-year-old Amber Czech, of Hutchinson, laying on the floor next to a bloody sledgehammer.

First responders attempted to save the woman, but she died at the scene from her injuries.

Surveillance video and witness statements led investigators to David Bruce Delong, the victim’s 40-year-old coworker. Delong not only admitted to a witness that he had attacked the victim, but that he believed her to be dead. Officials said Delong also confessed to police he had attacked her, and he had been planning on killing the victim for a while. He told the police the reason for the attack was that he “did not like her.”

Wright County Attorney Brian Lutes said Delong was arrested and charged with second degree intentional murder, but that he is considering elevating the charge to a count of first-degree premeditated murder.

“Our hearts are with their family, friends and all who are grieving this loss. We are working closely with law enforcement as they investigate this event and are focused on supporting our employees and the victim’s family,” Advanced Process Technologies wrote in a statement.

In Hawaii, a housekeeper has sued the Hilton hotel chain after she said a coworker sexually assaulted her.

The housekeeper said a male co-worker would corner her into guest rooms and touch her without her consent. She said the hotel, Hilton Hawaiian Village, should have done more to protect her.

According to the lawsuit, the incidents began in the spring of 2024, about a year after she started working at the hotel and continued until this summer.

“We definitely felt for our client, and we definitely wanted to support her through the process as she’s trying to go through, for herself recovering and healing and then moving forward,” said Victoria Chang, the woman’s attorney.

Chang said the man no longer works at the hotel, but that her client does and has suffered mental and emotional distress from the incidents.

“We just give our client a lot of credit. It takes a lot of courage for any victim of sexual harassment, abuse, to come forward, and I think it’s never an easy process to go through a lawsuit, whether it be on the civil side or the criminal side, but she’s definitely not just doing this for herself, but for other sexual assault victims out there,” Chang added.

And in Roseville, Minn., a gas station employee stabbed his boss after hearing voices.

Police said 26-year-old Nebil Seid Birhan stabbed his boss multiple times and tried to cut his throat after voices told him to harm him. The incident happened in early October, officials said.

According to court documents, police were called to the station and found a 58-year-old man lying in the parking lot being helped by staff from a nearby dental office. The man told the officers he’d been stabbed by an employee.

A witness at the scene told officers Birhan had just helped him with a purchase when Birhan suddenly turned and began to stab his boss. The witness said all three of the men ran out of the gas station and that Birhan allegedly tried to stab him too. Birhan fled the scene in his car.

The 58-year-old victim said Birhan had worked at the gas station for about a year without incident, but that he suspected Birhan had some mental health issues. When officers interviewed Birhan, he appeared to talk to himself and struggled to answer questions.

Court documents indicated Birhan admitted to a history of mental illness, including hallucinations and hearing voices, and to not taking any medication to control his symptoms. He also told police he was working when he heard a voice telling him to stab his boss and that it was the second time it had happened.

The boss suffered from “very severe” injuries that may impact him for the rest of his life, doctors told police. 

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