A Denver man with a history of violent arrests has been arrested in connection with the random attack stabbing deaths of two people and the wounding of two others.

Authorities took Elijah Caudill, 24, into custody on charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder following a Sunday night stabbing spree in which the suspect was spotted running from the 16th Street Mall with a large butcher knife.

He was later linked to a trio of stabbings on the same strip Saturday where a flight attendant on layover was killed and another victim was left in critical condition.

Denver police did not identify any of the victims, but the Association of Professional Flight Attendants said Celinda Levno, a 71-year-old who worked for America West Airlines, was killed while visiting the city’s outdoor mall.

“We are heartbroken and mourning the tragic loss of our colleague who was the victim of a senseless crime last night,” the union said Sunday. “Our thoughts and support are with her family, loved ones and colleagues, and we are doing all we can to assist law enforcement in its investigation.”

Police said the attacks began around 5:10 p.m. Saturday when the assailant slashed a 49-year-old man in the face. The man took himself to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.  

Five minutes later, police said a woman was stabbed in the neck and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. She died at a hospital early Sunday morning, police said, and was later identified as Ms. Levno by the flight attendants union.

Authorities said a 62-year-old man was stabbed in the arm and torso just before 6 p.m. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, and police said he is expected to survive.

Caudill was arrested after a deadly stabbing at the mall around 8 p.m. Sunday, police said. The victim wasn’t identified by officials.  

Caudill’s criminal history includes assaulting an employee at a drug treatment facility. He was released from a Denver jail in November after serving 11 months behind bars for the crime.

The stabbing suspect also threatened to stab a property manager in the Denver suburb of Westminster in 2021. He was sentenced to two years in prison for the incident, though he was given credit for time served after being in jail for a year while the case played out in court.

In 2022, he was convicted of felony theft for trying to yank a purse away from a woman in Thornton. He spent 15 months in prison for the offense.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.