A disagreement over where two Lake City men were headed turned violent Thursday afternoon when one of them allegedly pulled a knife from his waistband and stabbed the other in the hand during a roadside struggle over a set of van keys. Dan W. Umstead, 71, now faces felony charges stemming from the confrontation in Millcreek Township.
Argument Over Destination Turns Physical
According to Centre Daily Times, township police said the two Lake City men got into an argument on Thursday about where they were heading while traveling through Millcreek Township. The outlet's account of a complaint affidavit says the victim was behind the wheel of the minivan when the dispute over their destination broke out. Umstead allegedly took the van's keys, and the victim tried to retrieve them, setting off a physical confrontation.
The disagreement escalated into hand fighting and shoving between the two men, the report states. At some point during the struggle, Umstead allegedly pulled a knife from his waistband and stabbed the victim's hand, according to the complaint affidavit cited in the report. Millcreek police went on to accuse Umstead of stabbing the 52-year-old man in the hand, and officers reportedly located the minivan and both men in the 4800 block of West Ridge Road.
Victim Hospitalized With Non-Life-Threatening Injuries
The man who was stabbed received hospital treatment for the wound to his hand, per the same account. Separately, yourerie.com reported that one man was taken to the hospital Thursday afternoon after the stabbing in Millcreek Township, and that police placed the incident around the Asbury and West Ridge roads intersection. That station said the man's injuries were described by police as non-life-threatening. YourErie also reported that a vehicle was towed from the scene as police continued investigating.
Umstead told police he stabbed the man in the hand but claimed he acted in self-defense, according to the criminal complaint. He was arraigned Thursday evening and was being held at Erie County Prison on $20,000 bond, court records show.
Charges Filed, Hearing Tentatively Set
Umstead was charged with felony aggravated assault along with misdemeanor counts of possessing an instrument of crime, terroristic threats, and recklessly endangering another person, the report states. Pennsylvania law splits aggravated assault into different felony tiers depending on the specific subsection charged — first-degree felony status applies under subsections (a)(1), (2), and (9) of the state's aggravated assault statute, while subsections (a)(3) through (8) carry second-degree felony status.
As of Friday, no attorney was listed for Umstead on his criminal docket sheet, the outlet's report notes. He is tentatively scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing next Tuesday, November 17.
