A man is in critical condition after being stabbed near a Shell gas station in Linden early Tuesday morning, following a fight between two men just off the Interstate 71 interchange. Columbus police said officers were called about 5:15 a.m. to East Hudson Street and Interstate 71, where they found the victim and rushed him to a hospital.
Police said two men were fighting before the stabbing occurred, according to WSYX. Officers detained one person at a nearby gas station, and robbery detectives responded to the scene as investigators work to determine exactly what led up to the stabbing. Police have not said whether the confrontation began as an attempted robbery or a personal dispute between the two men.
The exact dispatch location adds detail to the incident: 10TV reported that the emergency call came in at 5:10 a.m. Tuesday and placed the incident specifically on the off-ramp from northbound I-71 to East Hudson Street, where officers taped off several commercial properties adjacent to the highway ramp as part of the investigation.
A Previous Stabbing Near the Station
Another stabbing was reported near the East Hudson Street Shell station.
The station's history stretches back further still. On April 29, 2010, a brawl involving up to six people armed with knives broke out at the same Shell station, leaving four people injured and eventually resulting in the death of a 24-year-old victim, per 10TV's reporting at the time; police made no immediate arrests in that case. And on May 18, 2021, the Columbus Division of Police reported that two suspects armed with handguns robbed a customer at the station's gas pumps at 5:55 a.m., an incident for which officers released surveillance images seeking public tips.
Legal Stakes Depend on What Detectives Find
Legal Stakes Depend on What Detectives Find Whether the robbery detectives' involvement points to an attempted theft or simply a personal dispute could shape what charges, if any, are eventually filed. Ohio Revised Code 2903.11 addresses felonious assault, a second-degree felony punishable by two to eight years in prison and fines up to $15,000, according to Zukerman, Lear, Murray & Brown.
If investigators determine the confrontation involved a robbery attempt, prosecutors could instead pursue aggravated robbery charges under Ohio Revised Code 2911.01, a first-degree felony carrying three to 11 years in prison and fines up to $20,000, per VanHo Law. That statute requires proof that a deadly weapon was displayed or serious harm was inflicted during a theft.
Where the Incident Falls on the Police Map
East Hudson Street also marks a jurisdictional dividing line for Columbus police. Under the department's six-zone restructuring implemented in April 2023, the street serves as the boundary separating Police Precinct 2 to the north from Precinct 5 to the south, according to WCMH NBC4's reporting at the time.
Tuesday's stabbing comes as the city touts broader progress on violent crime. Columbus homicides fell to 81 cases in 2025 — the lowest total since roughly 2007 — while felonious assaults dropped by about 500 cases over two years, per WOSU Public Media, which reported that police credited increased community tips and targeted enforcement for the decline.
Linden has been the focus of an 18-month pilot targeting non-fatal shootings in South Linden and Milo-Grogan. Police solved about 75% of non-fatal shootings in the pilot, compared with 46% of cases they usually solve, and expansion was expected in 2026.
Linden has seen a string of violent incidents in recent months, including a fatal shooting near East Hudson that led to murder charges against a 19-year-old still at large. Columbus police have not released additional details about the condition of Tuesday's victim or the identity of the person detained, and the investigation remains ongoing.
