Woman injured in midday stabbing at Olathe park, shocking neighbors: ‘Random’
Families enjoying a warm afternoon at an Olathe park were interrupted by violence Thursday when a woman was allegedly stabbed in the middle of the day near a playground and picnic shelter.
A day later, people out playing with their kids at Two Trails Park Friday morning were unaware that a man had just been arrested and charged with an attempted murder, after allegedly attacking a woman there with a knife. Already, there were no obvious signs that a crime had occurred there less than 24 hours earlier.
There was no apparent crime scene, no police tape or obvious blood stains to be found. There didn’t appear to be an ongoing investigation at the park, apart from two police vehicles that arrived in the parking lot just before 1 p.m. Friday.
Residents who live near the park were left shocked and confused about how the stabbing could happen so close to home.
In an update Friday, police said the woman who was stabbed is expected to survive her injuries.
A grandmother who frequents the park with her two grandchildren said the afternoon was joyful before they witnessed the stabbing. The woman spoke to The Star under the condition of anonymity for her privacy and fear for her safety.
“From what I witnessed, I don’t believe she knew the gentleman,” the grandmother said. “I think it was just a random, I hate to say it, just a random act of violence.”
Witness describes Olathe park stabbing
The grandmother said the scene started as a normal afternoon, with children drawing chalk pictures on the sidewalk while she stood by the slide with her 1-year-old grandson. She noticed a man that appeared to be pacing around the park, dressed in clothing too heavy for the warm day. At one point, her 3-year-old granddaughter joined the group of children drawing with chalk.
When she walked over to her granddaughter, she saw the man who had been pacing grab a little girl who was playing nearby. A woman sitting under the park shelter saw this and reportedly intervened, grabbing the child back and yelling at the man to, “get out of here,” the grandmother said.
The grandmother said she then saw the man reach into his pocket, and she initially feared he was pulling out a gun. Instead, the man drew a knife, and after what she perceived to be an apparent struggle over the child, stabbed the woman in the neck.
The incident sparked panic as parents grabbed their children and ran for safety, she said.
“All my granddaughter kept saying is, ‘She’s bleeding. She’s bleeding. He stabbed her in the face,’ and then she started crying,” the woman said.
Officers responded to the 1000 block of North Ridgeview Road around noon Thursday after reports of the armed disturbance, according to Sgt. John Moncayo, a police spokesman.
They found a 38-year-old woman suffering from a “serious injury consistent with a stabbing,” Moncayo said.
However, there are discrepancies between what police say and what the grandmother says happened. Moncayo said investigators have not indicated there was a struggle over a child.
“There’s no indication the victim was trying to intervene in the suspect’s harassment of a child,” Moncayo said.
The grandmother said she spoke to police after the stabbing and told them her account of what happened.
Moncayo said early investigation details indicate the stabbing was “unprovoked and that the man and woman did not know each other.”
Johnson County District Court records show 27-year-old Kwan Noble Trezvant has since been charged with first-degree attempted murder in connection with the stabbing.
According to court records, Trezvant was convicted of battery with a law enforcement officer in 2024 and was sentenced to 119 days in Johnson County jail.
Neighbors in shock
Santa Fe Trail Middle School sits just north of the park, and the Olathe Community Center sits a couple of blocks south.
The grandmother said she has been filled with anxiety and worry after the incident. She lives about a five minute drive from the park, she said, and has never felt unsafe before Thursday. She said she returned to the park about two hours after the incident, and was surprised to see it was already opened back up to the public.
“I literally walked up to a lady and I said, ‘Do you realize that there was just a stabbing here two hours ago?’ She’s like, ‘No, I didn’t know,’” the grandmother said.
On Friday, Fernando Sarellana sat at a picnic table under the park shelter with an apple and bottle of water.
“I live along this road on Santa Barbara where the trailer parks are,” Sarellana said.
“A neighbor’s sister told me (about the stabbing) and I tried to put it on the TV but nothing came up.”
“I feel very bad, in reality we’re never safe,” Sarellana said. “Like how that happened. It’s scary, right?”
Hanging out near the monkey bars Friday were Amy Cafferty and her three teenage children. Even after the harrowing news of a stabbing the day before, they felt safe enough to keep their plans at the park.
“We used to bring them here and take pictures, and so we’re making them redo our spring break pictures from when they were little,” Cafferty said.
“Olathe has an amazing park system, they have so many great parks, and I’ve always felt very safe going to any of the parks,” Cafferty said.
Across the street from the park sits the Two Trails neighborhood in Olathe, where Joy Manhnieo has lived for 50 years. Her children grew up in the area, played at the park and has never had any problems, she said.
“We’ve never had this kind of thing before,” Manhnieo said. “We feel safe here, you know.”
“We always play over there. My grandkids go over there. I go over there all the time,” Manhnieo said. “We were just shocked. We hope everyone is OK.”
The Star’s Laura Bauer and Emily Curiel contributed reporting.
This story was originally published March 20, 2026 at 5:42 PM.
