Mental health issues may be behind a random stabbing in the parking lot of Norwalk Hospital's maternity ward, according to court documents.

Shamar Grant, 19, made his first court appearance Monday. Grant is accused of turning what should have been a happy occasion for a local family into a terrifying one.

"He does have some significant mental health issues that I'm just finding out about," says public defender Drummond Smith.

Police say a new father was loading up his car in the parking lot outside the maternity ward on the morning of June 5, getting ready to bring his wife and baby home, when Grant ran up and stabbed him twice.

The victim ran into the hospital yelling for help. Court documents show he had a collapsed lung and needed his spleen removed.

He told police he didn't know his attacker. Investigators were able to find the suspect with the help of several security cameras.

"Different neighbors were able to assist with things like video evidence," says Norwalk Police Department Sgt. Sofia Gulino.

Footage came from Norwalk Hospital, homes on Woodbury Avenue, businesses on Connecticut Avenue and a nearby condo complex where Grant was staying for the weekend.

Someone living there recognized him in the video.

In Grant's arrest warrant, he admitted to the stabbing during his interview with police. Grant told them he'd been carrying a knife on him regularly because he "felt threatened by society," pointing to issues with his phone and his belief he was being hacked.

Grant said on the morning in question, he got suspicious activity on his phone at the same time he saw the victim in the parking lot.

He told police, "Because I felt threatened, I committed a dangerous action."

Grant's father also told police his son has a mental disorder attributed to drug use. Grant has no previous convictions but does have a pending assault case from May.