Woman says thief slashed her with knife in Islands of Adventure bathroom

ORLANDO, Fla. — It was a trip to Universal Orlando Resort that Patti Murphy won't soon forget.

"It just happened so fast, and I was thinking in my mind, 'What just happened?'" said Murphy.

The Brevard County woman said she was in a restroom stall at Islands of Adventure around 6 p.m. Sunday.

She said her purse was on the floor when it suddenly started to move. A woman in the next stall was trying to snatch it.

"Right as I put my foot up I saw the knife and I realized. I looked, I could see my hand, my arm all bleeding, my finger," said Murphy.

She was bleeding because the woman in the next stall had cut her with a switchblade knife.

Murphy had a slit on her right arm, a finger and her right ankle. She received 27 stitches.

Her purse was sliced down the side.

The woman got away with $50.

"I was kind of upset someone got into the park with a switchblade," said Murphy.

According to Murphy, when she went to a shop to get help the Universal staff told her there are fewer officers at Islands of Adventure because most are focused on Halloween Horror Nights.

"From what I see there wasn't enough security. I was really blown away that they said they didn't have enough cameras -- not in the facility, the bathroom -- but outside there," said Murphy.

When WFTV's Ryan Hughes spoke with Murphy on Wednesday night she looked at the positive side of things.

"I'm just thankful it was me, you know.  I'm older; I can handle it better than perhaps if she chose a teenager or something. That would've been really upsetting to me," said Murphy.

Murphy said she didn't get a good look at the woman.

Police are checking video from a nearby ATM to see if the woman watched her take out money and then followed her into the restroom.

Murphy said Universal offered her two free tickets to the park, but didn't know if they would help out with her medical expenses.

When WFTV asked a Universal representative about Murphy's story, Hughes received this written response: "Our highest priority is the safety of our guests across our entire resort.  Beyond that, we don't discuss specific security procedures or ongoing investigations."

WFTV