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.
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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.
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The victim’s nephew told police he had been riding in the vehicle and that the argument escalated into a fight. He asked to be dropped off at Wendy’s because he did not want to be involved. The restaurant was closed, and when he returned to the parking lot, he saw the victim near a row of U-Haul trucks with his throat cut and the vehicle gone. He told officers he did not know Jones.
Police later located the victim’s vehicle on County Road 81 next to an ambulance. According to the complaint, Jones had flagged down the ambulance. Officers observed blood on both of his hands. Jones told officers he was “high” and that both he and the victim had been using PCP. He later admitted he stabbed the victim, claiming he was defending himself. Police said Jones then became hysterical and made statements that he was sorry and did not mean for this to happen.
After paramedics evaluated him, officers arrested Jones.
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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.