A dispute over a cell phone behind a northwest Tucson McDonald's erupted into a knife fight Monday afternoon, leaving two men hospitalized and ending with the arrest of a 63-year-old man who fled the scene on a blue electric bike. Kenneth Dale Krueger, also known by the street name “South Park,” now faces four counts of aggravated assault in connection with the attack.
A fight near River Road and La Cholla Boulevard left two men injured Monday, according to KOLD. The sheriff's department said the incident involved three men believed to be experiencing homelessness, as reported by KOLD.
Court documents cited by the station identify Krueger as the man who approached two men behind the restaurant and argued with one of them over a cell phone. That argument quickly turned physical, and the confrontation spilled into violence that left both men needing hospital treatment.
A Fight That Turned Deadly Serious
The first victim told investigators he lost consciousness and suffered a broken ankle during the fight. The second victim said he tripped and hit his head on a curb near the drive-thru as the altercation unfolded, the station's report states.
Deputies said Krueger then allegedly advanced on the second victim with a large black knife while the man tried to defend himself by swinging a chain. Court documents say Krueger stood over the victim and stabbed him, leaving the man with defensive wounds to his hand. Both men were taken to the hospital with injuries described as not life-threatening, per the same account.
Arizona law includes assault involving the use of a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument in its definition of aggravated assault; offenses under that provision are generally classified as class 3 felonies. The statute’s classification depends on the specific provision charged, so the four counts in this case should not be assumed to carry identical classifications without the charging details. Arizona’s aggravated-assault statute sets out the weapon-related provision and its classifications.
Witnesses Confronted Him as He Fled
Witnesses at the scene honked their horns and yelled at Krueger as the confrontation ended, but he fled on a blue electric bike. Detectives later identified him through motor vehicle records and body camera footage, leading them to arrest him at his home later the same day.
When detectives searched the home, they reported finding dried blood on Krueger's face along with a bloody jacket and a bloody folding knife in his room, according to the court documents described in the article. Krueger told detectives that one of the men had struck him with a dog leash, which he said prompted him to pull out his knife.
Booked on Four Counts
Krueger was booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Complex on four counts of aggravated assault. KOLD reported that his bond was set at $10,000 and that he was being held at the detention complex as of 11 a.m. Tuesday.
The sheriff’s department said the three men were believed to be experiencing homelessness. As broader local context, Tucson-Pima’s 2025 point-in-time count recorded 2,218 people experiencing homelessness in sheltered or unsheltered settings, compared with 2,102 in 2024. The count is a one-night snapshot, and the 2025 canvass expanded to include Ajo and Catalina, areas not counted in prior years—so the totals are not a simple like-for-like measure of change. The local count summary identifies those limits.
