Teen faces attempted murder charge in stabbing at South Lake Tahoe Whole Foods

A 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after police said he stabbed a man Tuesday evening at a Whole Foods Market in South Lake Tahoe in an unprovoked attack.

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The stabbing was reported shortly after 6:30 p.m. at the Whole Foods Market on Lake Tahoe Boulevard. Officers found a 42-year-old South Lake Tahoe man being tended to by witnesses in the store’s outdoor seating area, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department announced Wednesday in a news release.

Police said the man suffered multiple stab wounds and was taken by ambulance to a hospital.

Officers received a description of the suspect, who had fled. Within five minutes, officers found and detained the suspect, a 15-year-old South Lake Tahoe boy, in the Ski Run area just east of the grocery store, police said.

Detectives investigating the stabbing determined the teen and the wounded man did not know each other and that the stabbing was unprovoked, police said.

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The teen was booked into the El Dorado County Juvenile Treatment Center on suspicion of attempted murder and was being held without bail, police said. The department did not release the teen’s name because he was a minor.

The wounded man remained hospitalized Wednesday in stable condition, police said.

The department thanked witnesses who helped the victim and provided information to officers that led to the suspect’s arrest.

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This story was originally published August 12, 2026 at 11:56 AM.