A 49-year-old suspect is charged after he allegedly slashed another man’s neck with a box cutter during a late-night confrontation outside a Brooklyn Park fast food restaurant.
The incident happened around 11:45 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8, in the 7400 block of 71st Avenue North in Brooklyn Park.
Robert Jones, of Big Lake, is charged in Hennepin County District Court with first-degree assault causing great bodily harm. According to the criminal complaint, Jones assaulted the victim while using a dangerous weapon.
The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $30,000 fine, with a minimum sentence of one year and one day if convicted.
Officers were sent to the Wendy’s parking lot on a report of a stabbing and found a man with blood covering his face, neck and sweatshirt. Police reported multiple slits to the man’s neck. Officers began first aid before paramedics transported him to the hospital.
At the hospital, the victim told an officer that his driver’s license had been cancelled, so he asked Jones to drive him around in his vehicle. The two began arguing while driving, and the victim said Jones threatened to crash the vehicle. They pulled into the Wendy’s parking lot and continued arguing. The victim told police Jones pulled out a box cutter and sliced at his throat. He said he bit Jones in the face and ran from the vehicle while Jones drove away.
Investigators searched the Wendy’s parking lot and found a knife with blood on it between two U-Haul trucks.
Medical staff diagnosed the victim with several neck lacerations that required sutures. He was later released from the hospital. Prosecutors argue the injuries meet the definition of great bodily harm because lacerations to the neck create a high probability of death.
Jones was booked into the Hennepin County Jail on Feb. 9 and is still being held in custody as of publication, with bail set at $80,000 with conditions or $100,000 without conditions. His next court appearance is set for March 12.
