Man arraigned on felony assault charges in early morning stabbing in Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor police say a simple bump on the sidewalk escalated into a stabbing that left one man critically injured and another locked up on felony assault charges.
Mark Allen Davis, 21, of Ann Arbor, was arraigned today on charges of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder and assault with a dangerous weapon.
The victim, whose name was not released, was in critical but stable condition, police said. He recently moved to Ann Arbor.
The incident occurred around 1:40 a.m. Saturday in the area of South University and East University streets when Davis and the victim bumped into each other on the sidewalk, Ann Arbor Police Sgt. Paul Curtis said.
Davis was with three others, and the victim was with two others, Curtis said.
Davis and the victim began fighting, and the victim was winning when Davis allegedly pulled a 3.5-inch long knife with a wide blade and stabbed the victim in the chest and arm, Detective Dave Monroe said.
Others in the group joined the fight; the groups then went their separate ways, and the victim noticed he was bleeding, Curtis said.
Davis was identified as a suspect because a witness recognized someone in the group, Monroe said. Another man also was arrested, but has not been charged.
Monroe said the case remains under investigation, and others could face charges.
None of the people involved are University of Michigan students, police said.
A magistrate set Davis' bond at 10% of $15,000. He has a preliminary hearing Sept. 16.
Monroe said the case is an example of a verbal confrontation that can quickly escalate into a serious incident.
"The lesson is that a very minor incident can quickly escalate," Monroe said. "It's best to avoid confrontation and just walk away."
Comments
ccww
Thu, Sep 17, 2009 : 2:45 p.m.
and this article doesn't seem to have all the facts straight anyways.
ccww
Thu, Sep 17, 2009 : 2:45 p.m.
Unless you personally know someone involved, whether it be the victim or the man being prosecuted you shouldn't have an opinion on the actual circumstances surrounding the fight that occurred that night because you don't know them. comment on the article, but if you weren't there and you don't personally know anyone who was, leave your opinions out of it. and for the record, stabbing someone four times is not an act of self defense.
TFF3
Thu, Sep 10, 2009 : 2:51 p.m.
Has anybody considered that Davis may have been acting in self defense? Nowhere does it say he started the fight, and it does say he was "losing" at one point or another. Just because the other guy got stabbed doesn't automatically turn him into the "victim." From the story here, it is entirely possible the other party started the fight, was beating on Davis pretty good, who had a pocket knife with him and felt he needed to end the fight to defend himself. What you have is a bunch of people jumping to conclusions with NO idea of what really happened that night. Let the police do their job and quit jumping to conclusions.
uawisok
Wed, Sep 9, 2009 : 12:36 p.m.
maybe if a doughnut shop was on south U the police presence would improve??
Klaxyn
Wed, Sep 9, 2009 : 11:26 a.m.
For those of you who are quick to judge Mr Davis for his stabbing of the 18 year old.. Did it ever occur to you that perhaps Davis was minding his own business when this underage drunk(assumtion) kid bumped into him and started talking foolish crap? What would you do if the 'victim' and his group of friends started beating you down and thought your only chance of survival was to pull out the pocket knife you happen to have on you? The prosecutors in this case must also think this was a case of self defense or else they would have charged Davis with nothing less than attempted murder. I think his only mistake was running away afterwards. He should have immediately caled 911 saying he had been jumped and had to stab the agressor in self defense. I'm just saying we should listen to both sides before rushing to judgement.
DanielF
Tue, Sep 8, 2009 : 8:54 a.m.
I hope the victim of the stabbing recovers fully. And that the scumbag who stabbed him gets to spend 15-20 years in State Prison. I think that with reduced police patrols, and the fact that most Ann Arborites are not being the criminal, brawling types, criminals think our city's population provides easy pickings.
ddg
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 : 9:05 p.m.
ok, for theknowwho....cuz i know the kid....so i get to be privy to certain details. Like, for example, the kid in the hospital on the ventilator was NOT intoxicated. And you don't get the luxury of a ventilator unless some creep is out to kill you. As they say say for assumptions.....So every time you're out at 1:30am we can assume you are wasted? patriotact is correct - the original article said 3.5 inches wide.
patriotact
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 : 8:41 p.m.
to the know who....the original article incorrectly stated 3.5 inch WIDE knife. the nice thing about this "paper" being online is they correct mistakes and do not note that there were corrections, although this was a sloppy correction stating 3.5 inch long, wide blade knife. Not to split hairs about it, but its still wrong, just as it was before.
The Dark Knight
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 : 7:29 p.m.
To Huh7891: My friend... I only use information to help you - my fellow citizen here in GothAnn - understand that the criminal element does exist within the city and that maybe you might take a more cautious view when walking the streets. I believe the police department and my friend within it do the best they can with what they have. Case in point - they caught the scum who did this. Yet my factiod regarding what is out there protecting GothAnn was a response to another comment which appeared to be critical of the fact there are so few police cars visible in a particular area. If one does not realize that our protection is diminished in numbers, then one could draw the conclusion the police are not working hard in the interest of the citizens. On the contrary... I for one commend their efforts yet at the same time I am not blind to the shortcomings of the now and future plight facing our beloved city. I will be looking skyward for the moment help is needed... you know the signal.
theknowwho
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 : 6:55 p.m.
Ok first.....I don't understand why it matters who was winning or why that needed to be included in the article....personally I think both parties lost out in the end...whether it be, being left wounded and in critical condition...or getting jail time....don't think the fight was worth either. Cause I'm sure some in both parties were intoxicated and instigated it, so that's why it escalated to what it did. Second ddg- I'm positive the one party was wasted...assuming the same for the other...seeing the time in night and the altercation that occurred. And robbed the victim?...where are you getting that from?...and also the stab wounds being 8inch...how? please explain...considering it states that the blade was 3.5 in LENGTH but was a wide blade. which brings me to my Third Thing..... PartiotAct-so it clearly states the blade is a 3.5-inch long, wide blade knife. 3.5 in length....and they do not state a width but say "WIDE BLADE". But I'm born and raised in Ann Arbor and it sucks to see this happen here. I do think Davis deserves what he gets.....he did not need to take it to the next level by stabbing the guy. But sadly these people have to be another example of what not to do.
aacitizen
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 : 1 p.m.
Agree with the Dark Knight... WAKE UP ANN ARBOR. YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE ONLY AS SAFE AS THE CITY ALLOWS US TO BE. Argo Dam, Parking Structures and businesses on Main Street don't mean a thing if you don't have a safe city...
ddg
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 : 11:47 a.m.
To patriotact: the wounds were 8inches deep so, yes, it was a big knife. Which makes me wonder why the suspect was charged with something less than attempted murder. Clearly one doesn't carry around a knife like that for whittlin' sticks. To Ryan: yes, a random act of violence, but a kid is a kid regardless of the university affiliation. Just a sad state for an area i've traveled many times.
huh7891
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 : 11:43 a.m.
Thanks Dark Knight for that little tidbit. Now that criminal element has that bit of info, you can be sure they will be out in full force when police staffing is low. Like they say.. some things are better left unsaid.
aanonliberal
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 : 10:32 a.m.
The problem is the city views police and fire like a business, profit versus costs. They are naive, police and fire are insurance, just like you buy for life, home, etc. You don't like paying for it until you need it. Then you're very glad you've been paying for it! Sounds like these type of incidents are becoming more prevelant, so much for Ann Arbor being one of the top places in the Nation to live. Dark Knight, blake138 and sarcastic hit it on the head. No cops equals problems. After reading their input from their cop friends sounds like I won't be heading downtown for the night life. Let me know when the city comes around and I can walk safely downtown. Wouldn't want to get stabbed, almost to death, for bumping someone.
Sarcastic1
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 : 9:57 a.m.
True statement about the number of officers diminishing rapidly in Ann Arbor. The force had 200 sworn officers just 8 years ago. Today, the department has 124. The politicians will tell you the loss of so many officers will not affect your safety. They are either naive, or not being truthful....You decide.
The Dark Knight
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 : 8:31 a.m.
To Blake138...I am sure the police travel S. University but probably just not as often. With all the cuts in staffing through retirements and no rehiring, the cop numbers are obviously less. I have a friend within the Ann Arbor police department who say that there are between 8-12 police cars out on a Friday night - TOTAL - for the whole city. And that is until 3am at which time the numbers drop to 4-6 cars. Now take the thousands of students walking around (most intoxicated to some extent), dozens and dozens of parties, all the packed bars, all the cars driving around downtown committing traffic violations, plus mix in your truly criminal element... it is no wonder you don't see many cops. AND THIS LIST IS JUST FOR THE DOWNTOWN/STUDENT AREA - I am not even including the rest of Ann Arbor which also needs many of those 8-12 police cars for their own crime calls and for patrolling. Also, I am hearing there are no more of the so called extra "party patrol" units out there on overtime due to budget constraints. That program apparently used to add an extra 3-5 police cars downtown and strictly worked the student / bar areas. Ann Arbor may finally have to realize that there are no walls around its borders to protect its citizens from happenings like this. It is unfortunate to keep hearing about more violent crimes in this city but when your police protection drops in numbers... there is only so much that can be protected at any given time - S. University included. You may want to invest in a "bat signal" spot-light, my friend.
Ryan Munson
Sun, Sep 6, 2009 : 10:11 p.m.
I'd have to disagree with your point ddg. This is a popular area right next to campus (practically on)and is a prime hangout for University students. It is important to know if this was a random act of violence or someone connected with the University.
patriotact
Sun, Sep 6, 2009 : 9:28 p.m.
"Davis allegedly pulled a 3.5-inch wide blade knife"....I think that is supposed to be a 3.5 inch LONG knife. A 3.5 inch WIDE knife would bigger than a butcher knife and a little diffcult to carry around.
ddg
Sun, Sep 6, 2009 : 8:59 p.m.
The fact that the victim was not a UofM student is irrelvant and irresponsbile journalism if the point is to make UofM students more secure or to lesson the severity of the incident. The point is some punk with a 3.5 inch blade, who by the way also robbed the victim, is much more signficant. Clearly this creep was looking for a fight. And where were the two guys the victim was walking with? Et tu, Brutus?
Skeet
Sun, Sep 6, 2009 : 4:04 p.m.
I've heard about this type of situation on the Boondocks.
Matt Van Auker
Sun, Sep 6, 2009 : 2:43 p.m.
Dang, wish I would have know sooner. Really wanted to go to that arraignment! (Mo-Fo -- is that a whoops!).