Suspect charged in College Town knife assaults
Nov. 12—MANKATO — A homeless man is now charged in knife assaults that sent two people to the hospital last month.
Abel Jonathan Rocha, 26, is suspected of stabbing a man in the abdomen and cutting another man after he was denied admission to a gathering at College Town the early morning of Oct. 30.
Rocha was charged with felony counts of assault Friday in Blue Earth County District Court. He was arrested Friday afternoon and bail was set at $200,000.
According to the court complaint:
Two men reported they were in a residence at the student complex on Cottage Path when a group of strangers knocked on the door and wanted to come inside.
Two male visitors pushed their way inside and a fight ensued. A man later identified as Rocha brandished a knife and made slashing motions.
One man was cut by the knife and another was stabbed. Responding police officers found the stabbed man covered in blood and a 5-inch stab wound with his rib cage exposed.
The stabbed man was taken by ambulance to the hospital. The injury wasn't life-threatening, police previously said.
The man who was cut also sought medical treatment. He reported he also was hit in the face with a pipe during the fight.
A witness identified Rocha as one of the men involved in the fight. One of the victims was shown an image of Rocha and said Rocha was the man who cut him.
