BEIJING — In an incident that cast a shadow over the start of the Olympic Games here, a Chinese man armed with a knife Saturday attacked the parents of a former U.S. Olympic volleyball player and their Chinese tour guide, killing one of the Americans before committing suicide.
Todd and Barbara Bachman, both 62, were stabbed at the 13th century Drum Tower, a landmark five miles from the Olympic village in a neighborhood of lakes, restaurants and bars popular with tourists. The attacker then jumped from the tower's second story, about 130 feet above street level.
Black-clad commandos swarmed the area after the attack, which left Todd Bachman of Lakeville, Minn., dead and his wife in intensive care. Barbara Bachman, who suffered multiple stab wounds, was in critical but stable condition at a Beijing hospital after about eight hours of surgery. The couple's female guide was injured.
Their daughter, Irvine resident Elisabeth "Wiz" Bachman McCutcheon, a member of the 2004 Olympic team, was with them at the time and watched the attack in horror. Her husband, Hugh McCutcheon, is the coach of the U.S. men's volleyball team competing here at the Summer Games, but after the attack, he did not plan to be on the bench today for the team's opening game against Venezuela.
Chinese leaders have deployed more than 100,000 police officers and military personnel to safeguard the Games, in addition to several hundred thousand neighborhood watch volunteers. Xi Jinping, the presidential heir apparent, earlier said security would be a top barometer of the Games' success.
Quoting Beijing police, the U.S. Olympic Committee said the assailant acted alone. His identity card listed him as Tang Yongming, 47, from the eastern province of Zhejiang, according to the official New China News Agency.
Beijing and Shanghai have low crime rates for cities of their size, and attacks against foreigners are rare in China.
"It's really sad after the celebration of the opening ceremonies, which were the best opening ceremonies I've ever been at," said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics.
Penny said he had spoken to team leaders and would talk to athletes' families but felt no fear about being identified as an American, adding that he would continue to wear the red-white-and-blue "USA" hat he had on.
President Bush, in China for the Olympics, said he and First Lady Laura Bush were saddened by the attack.
