Multiple people were stabbed near the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Thursday afternoon, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said on social media.

The MPD said six people were injured in the stabbing, along with the male suspect, who is now in custody. They were all transported to a nearby hospital. 

Police said the suspect was in an "altered mental state" from an unknown substance at the time of the attack, which took place at approximately 3:22 p.m. Eastern, ABC News reported. The weapon in the attack has also been recovered.

"Officers arrived on scene in less than a minute and located numerous people suffering from stab wounds," D.C. Chief Pamela Smith said in a press briefing.

Based on initial reports, the suspect was stabbing himself first and then a female acquaintance, before he started stabbing others. The other people include three additional women and an additional man. Two of the people were stabbed when trying to help.

"This incident highlights the need for assistance of substance abuse issues in our communities," Smith said. "Even though we're grateful for their intervention, we would ask that individuals who see incidents such as this to not intervene because these two individuals, although good Samaritans, were also stabbed as part of this assault."

The victims are all in stable condition, Smith said, and the injuries are not believed to be life threatening. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.