Worker hailed as a hero for facing UC Merced attacker

By JULIET WILLIAMS and PAUL ELIAS / The Associatedd Press

MERCED, Calif. – A construction worker who ran into a California university classroom to break up what he thought was a fight was hailed as a hero for preventing an 18-year-old student armed with a hunting knife from possibly killing his intended target.

Byron Price, 31, was helping remodel a waiting room at the University of California, Merced, when he heard a commotion Wednesday and rushed to check on it. The attack left Price, two students and a school employee wounded, but all were expected to survive.

Price told Fresno news station KSEE-TV that he opened the classroom door at the University of California, Merced, thinking he was going to break up a fistfight. He says those inside shouted at him to run.

Price kicked at the charging attacker and was stabbed in the side, but told the station he was able to drive himself to the hospital. He plans to head back to work on campus, where he was helping remodel a waiting room.

The assailant was shot and killed by campus police as he fled the building. He was identified Thursday as Faisal Mohammad of Santa Clara, California, a freshman majoring in computer science and engineering. Authorities were investigating a motive.

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[Source]: OC Register