The driver was attacked from behind early Sunday while using a restroom at the Bitter Creek rest stop on Interstate 80, between Cheyenne and Salt Lake City, according to court documents. He suffered stab wounds to his neck and chest along with more than a dozen other cuts but survived.
Police have not established a motive for the attack. Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Jeff Sheaman said investigators had “zero motive” so far and were continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The victim told police he was attacked from behind while trying to use the restroom. He said he pushed the attacker but initially did not see the knife, according to a police affidavit.
Police arrested Andrew Kris Bzdak in nearby Carbon County within hours of the attack. According to the affidavit, a family at the rest stop heard the assault, followed the suspect’s truck back onto the highway and alerted police, helping authorities locate him.
The attack comes amid heightened concerns within the Sikh community following deadly crashes involving Sikh truck drivers that have prompted public debate over commercial driver’s licensing requirements.
Sikh community leaders said the debate has also contributed to increased hostility toward Sikhs. Harsimran Singh, a Sikh trucking industry executive in California, said anti-Sikh sentiment has become particularly intense on truck-driving forums.
“I’ve been here for the last 25-plus years,” Singh said. “I never felt this kind of hate before.”