A verbal argument on a St. Claude side street escalated into violence Monday afternoon when a 27-year-old woman allegedly grabbed a pair of scissors and swung them at a man, striking him in the abdomen, according to New Orleans police. The woman, identified as Tenaj Welch, was arrested. Police responded to the 1700 block of Louisa Street shortly after 2 p.m.
According to WGNO, police said Welch and the man were engaged in a verbal altercation before she armed herself with the scissors and swung them at him. Court records show Welch now faces one count of aggravated battery, the station reports. As with anyone accused of a crime, Welch is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
What Aggravated Battery Charges Could Mean for Welch
Louisiana law treats the alleged use of scissors as a weapon as a serious upgrade from a simple battery charge. Under Louisiana Revised Statute 14:34, aggravated battery is defined as a battery committed with a dangerous weapon, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison with or without hard labor, a fine of up to $5,000, or both, according to the Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana courts have defined a dangerous weapon broadly, as any object other than a person's own body capable of producing serious bodily harm, per the same legal code.
The charge also carries consequences beyond potential prison time. Aggravated battery is classified as a crime of violence under Louisiana law and may qualify for expungement under certain conditions, according to the DefenseAttorneyNOLA legal resource.
A Separate Franklin Avenue Attack
A separate machete attack took place on Franklin Avenue. The suspect approached the victim near the intersection of the two avenues and ran off from that location after the crime.
St. Claude itself is bounded by Law Street to the north, Lesseps Street to the east, Burgundy Street and St. Claude Avenue to the south, and Franklin Avenue to the west, according to boundaries outlined on Wikipedia.
The medical condition of the man struck in the abdomen has not been disclosed, and it remains unclear whether the dispute will be classified as domestic in nature.
