An employee allegedly stabbed his boss during a staff meeting and it is being investigated as a possible copycat attack of the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing.
Nathan Mahoney, 32, is accused of slashing the president of Anderson Express Inc as the manufacturing company held a meeting at their office in Muskegon, Michigan, on Tuesday morning, according to the Fruitport Township Police Department.
Mahoney allegedly stabbed Erik Denslow with a knife around 9.20am and fled the premises in his vehicle.
Cops arrested him 15 minutes later.
Denslow underwent surgery and was in serious but stable condition.
The motive of the attack was not immediately known.
But Deputy Chief Greg Poulson said they have not ruled out the crime was potentially imitating the alleged actions of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson’s accused killer, Luigi Mangione.
‘I think that comes to everyone’s mind in this time,’ Poulson told News 8.
‘We’re going through all his social accounts, all his electronic media and trying to determine a motive for this act.’
Mahoney’s co-workers described him as ‘having a quiet demeanor’, according to the police department.
He was arraigned on Wednesday and has been charged with assault with intent to murder as well as fleeing and eluding a cop.
Denslow was stabbed hours before Mangione, 26, was hit with an 11-count indictment charging him with killing Thompson, 50. Thompson was shot dead while heading to his company’s annual investors’ conference at a Midtown Manhattan hotel on December 4.
Mangione’s alleged writings detailed disdain for health insurance companies denying patient claims. That anti-corporate greed message has resulted in a sizable supporter base for Mangione – and possible copycat criminals.
On December 10, a 42-year-old Florida woman allegedly threatened BlueCross BlueShield in a phone call after the health insurance company denied her claims. She uttered the words ‘delay, deny, depose’ – the same words found on shell casings of bullets Mangione is accused of firing at Thompson, police said. The three words appeared to refer to the 2010 book Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About.
Fruitport Township police are recovering CCTV footage from the scene and asking anyone with information on the stabbing to contact them.
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