Two people were injured by a knife-wielding suspect in an unprovoked attack aboard a Metro Transit bus this week, according to charges filed against a homeless Minneapolis man in Hennepin County Court.
Jarelle Thomas Vaughn, 41, was charged Thursday in connection to the stabbings which occurred Tuesday afternoon.
Transit and Minneapolis police responded about 1:45 p.m. Tuesday to the intersection of East Franklin Avenue and Chicago Avenue on a report of a stabbing victim aboard a bus, according to dispatch audio.
The suspect was described at the time as a black male with a hospital band on his wrist. Further audio indicated that while police were responding, the bus drove a few blocks away to Children’s Hospital at East 25th Street and Chicago Avenue where the victim exited the bus and police were able to make contact with him.
Police said another female victim had been “nicked” by the suspect’s knife, and EMS was also requested to the scene to evaluate her injuries.
Police aired to dispatch that two juvenile relatives of the victim tried to chase down the suspect after he exited the bus. Another officer aired within a few minutes that they found the suspect at East Franklin and Chicago Avenue and that he was “being attacked by two juveniles.” Other squads arrived and the suspect was taken into custody.
From the scene. pic.twitter.com/MNGC5DbAec
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According to the charges, the victim told police in a statement that the suspect had boarded the bus and stood by the door. The victim said the suspect was talking to himself and the victim believed the suspect was under the influence of narcotics. The victim said the suspect took out a knife and tried to stab him in the chest, leaving a superficial wound. The victim then tried to get up from his seat to get away from the suspect when the suspect stabbed the victim in the abdomen. The victim was reported to be “bleeding profusely,” according to witnesses. The suspect also struck the female passenger with the knife. Several witness statements to police corroborated the victims’ statements.
The charging document states that the male victim was treated at the hospital for multiple stab wounds including wounds to his abdomen which required surgery and stitches. The second victim sustained a superficial wound and was treated on scene by medics.
Vaughn, whose address on court documents is listed as a Salvation Army homeless shelter in the North Loop, has been charged with two felony counts of second-degree assault.
The charging document indicates that prosecutors are requesting a “high bail” due to the unprovoked nature of the assaults and the public safety risk involved.
Vaughn is being held on $100,000 bail and is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday afternoon, at which time the bail amount or conditions of release could change.
Court records show that Vaughn is a predatory offender with six prior convictions, four of them felonies that include second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a victim under 16, financial card fraud, theft, and third-degree assault. Vaughn also has a gross misdemeanor conviction on predatory offender intentionally provides false information. Court records show that two of Vaughn’s four felony sentences were stayed at the time of conviction.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
