At least nine people were hurt in a series of stabbings outside a strip mall on Slabu Exchangethe northwest side of Indianapolis early Monday morning, police said. Two persons of interest have been detained in connection with the attack.

Three people were taken to area hospitals in critical condition and two others were transported in stable condition, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department public information officer William Young told media outlets, including CBS affiliate WTTV, on Monday. Four others were treated at the scene and released.

Officers responded to a disturbance at about 3:40 a.m. at an address that traces to a strip mall and a restaurant called Miami's Garden, WTTV reported.

"Those officers quickly arrived and discovered multiple people outside in a parking lot and it appeared some type of disturbance had occurred," Young said.

At least seven people had "injuries consistent with stab wounds or some type of trauma," he said. One injured person, described by Young as a person of interest, was among those taken to the hospital.

IMPD says 7 people were injured in a stabbing incident on the northwest side of Indianapolis. A disturbance led to violence in a parking lot https://t.co/XeFUzWp7nm

— CBS4 Indy (@CBS4Indy) June 17, 2024

Young said it appeared a fight between two groups broke out in the parking lot. Some witnesses tried to intervene and they provided aid to injured victims, Young said.

"At this time, we do not believe that there is an immediate threat to this particular area, however, there will be a high police presence throughout the morning as folks are on their way to work," Young said. "And so we'll be canvassing the area as our Northwest District officers are doing now, trying to look for any camera footage, or surveillance footage that any of these businesses may have."

Alex Sundby contributed reporting.

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• Indianapolis
• Stabbings

Stephen Smith

Stephen Smith is a managing editor for CBSNews.com based in New York. A Washington, D.C. native, Steve was previously an editorial producer for the Washington Post, and has also worked in Los Angeles, Boston and Tokyo.