CHELSEA, Mass. — A man was stabbed twice in the parking lot of a Massachusetts Market Basket grocery store on Monday, police said.
The man accused in the incident, Victor Rojas Avalo, 25, was arraigned Tuesday on assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
According to Chelsea police, the incident stemmed from what they said was a road rage incident over a parking spot. The incident happened at 4 p.m. at the store located on Everett Avenue.
The altercation left a 50-year-old Somerville man with a non-life-threatening injury. Police say they found the victim with a “severe laceration.”
“When they arrived on scene, they were able to identify the victim, and they saw that he was holding his left side back and bleeding heavily,” Hirsch said.
Police tracked Rojas Avalo and the SUV to his home in Revere, using photos taken by the victim.
“In searching the defendant, they found a small keychain folding knife and took possession of it. At that time, the defendant spontaneously stated that that was what he used to defend himself during the altercation,” said Assistant District Attorney Jared Hirsch.
After the incident, Rojas Avalo continued with his day.
“He went into the Market Basket, and then he returned home, and when police stopped him, he was cooperative with police, and he relayed the same story that I’m telling you to the police,” defense attorney Steven Topazio said
Rojas Avalo claims he defended himself because he was in fear, according to his attorney.
“The incident occurred in where he was assaulted, and — in the process of being assaulted — he acted in self-defense,” Topazio said.
Rojas Avalo was released on $500 cash bail. Avalo was also ordered to stay away from the victim and from Market Basket.
source: wcvb