What started as an argument inside a St. Louis home on Wednesday ended in a bloody scene that police say included knife wounds and a bitten-off fingertip. Officers arrived to find a victim bleeding heavily from the face, leg and hand, and they arrested a woman at the scene. Court records show she now faces several felony charges, with bond set at $150,000. The victim was taken for medical treatment with large lacerations to the face and leg.
What police allege
Police identify the accused as Tiara Tompkins. According to court records, she is charged with two counts of first-degree assault, one count of first-degree burglary, one count of unlawful use of a weapon and one count of armed criminal action. A probable cause statement says Tompkins went to the victim’s home on Wednesday, banged on the windows and doors, and got into a physical fight when the door was opened. Investigators allege she grabbed a kitchen knife and slashed the victim’s face and leg, then bit off the end of the victim’s pinky finger and threatened the victim with a gun. Officers say they found the victim bleeding and Tompkins hiding in the basement, covered in the victim’s blood, as reported by First Alert 4.
Charges and possible penalties
All of the counts listed in court records are felony-level offenses under Missouri law. Assault in the first degree is typically a Class B felony but can be bumped up to a Class A felony if serious physical injury occurs, according to section 565.050 of the Revisor of Missouri. Burglary in the first degree is defined as a Class B felony under Missouri statute 569.160, per Justia. Armed criminal action is an unclassified felony that can carry an additional prison term served consecutively to the underlying offense, according to section 571.015 of the Revisor of Missouri.
Arrest, bond and next steps
Tompkins was taken into custody at the home and remains in jail while prosecutors review the case. Court records show her bond set at $150,000. The case is expected to proceed in St. Louis Circuit Court. The initial reporting and the probable cause statement do not spell out a motive or provide further details on the victim’s condition, according to First Alert 4.
How unusual is this?
Assaults that involve biting someone hard enough to remove part of a finger are rare, but not unheard of in the United States. In one 2019 incident at a Dallas transit station, a man lost part of his pinky after another person bit it off, according to The Dallas Morning News. At this early stage in the St. Louis case, local coverage is based mainly on the probable cause statement and court filings. Future court documents or public comments from police and prosecutors will likely flesh out what led up to the confrontation and how both sides describe what happened.
