A random attack on 15-year-old Ankur Dhar in one of America’s safest cities, home to a significant Indian American population, has left residents questioning safety and fearing deeper motives.
An Indian American family in Frisco, Texas, found themselves caught in a harrowing incident when their teenage son’s routine dog walk turned violent.
Fifteen-year-old Ankur Dhar was walking his dog just two houses away from his home in the Grayhawk neighborhood when, around 8:45 p.m., a stranger approached him, exchanged a few words, and then suddenly stabbed him before fleeing the scene.
Describing the terrifying encounter, a visibly shaken Ankur told CBS News Texas that he enjoys his nightly dog walks while listening to music through his earbuds. On Sunday, as he strolled near his home, a stranger approached and said, “Yo, I think you look familiar.”
Not suspecting anything unusual, Ankur replied, “Oh, really,” and shared his name. The stranger then claimed to attend Lone Star High School — the same school Ankur goes to.
Before Ankur could comprehend what was happening or react, the individual stabbed him with what is believed to be a pocketknife. The incident was captured on a neighbor’s Ring camera.
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As the suspect fled the scene, Ankur, thinking quickly despite the shock, ran toward his home with his dog. He described the assailant as an older teenager but said he had never seen the person before.
Upon seeing their son bleeding profusely, Ankur’s family rushed him to the hospital, where he received 19 stitches. His father, Adesh Dhar, deeply shaken by the random and dangerous nature of the attack, told Dallas local news outlet WFAA:
“I saw blood gushing out of his arm, so I was kind of numb to what happened. He said someone stabbed me, and I ran out and didn’t see anyone. The fortunate thing is he was just two houses down from where we live. If it would have been farther, it would have been disastrous.”
Police responded to the incident in the 1500 block of Plum Valley Lane in the Grayhawk area. DFW Scanner, a local digital news outlet in North Texas, reported on the stabbing the same night it occurred. Residents shared on Facebook that they saw multiple police vehicles, officers with K-9 units, as well as a drone and helicopter overhead as the search for the suspect continued late into the night.
While the suspect remains at large, the Indian American community in the area is deeply concerned about a recent spate of unsolved crimes. The stabbing occurred in the Grayhawk residential community in Texas, a state with a significant Indian American population. The Dallas-Fort Worth metro area alone is home to an estimated 235,000 Indian Americans — about 3 percent of the total population — with Frisco itself having one of the highest concentrations, at around 14 percent.
Frisco is widely regarded as a wealthy, safe, and immigrant-friendly community, known for its high median household income, low unemployment rates, and excellent school system—factors that many South Asians prioritize when investing in the United States.
A SmartAsset study ranked Frisco the No. 1 safest city in America for two consecutive years. According to the study, “Located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Frisco has the fourth-lowest violent crime rate (95 crimes for every 100,000 residents) and the sixth-lowest property crime rate (901 for every 100,000 residents). Frisco and the surrounding area also averaged eight drug poisoning deaths per 100,000 residents in 2022, which ranked fourth-lowest across our study.”
But the recent incident has been a rude awakening for residents who feel their sense of safety has been shaken by the random nature of the attack. While police have yet to confirm a motive, some Indians online have speculated that racism may have played a role. Others have voiced frustration over what they see as a mismatch between the area’s high taxes and its ability to guarantee public safety, calling for swift and firm action.