FAYETTEVILLE -- A Fayetteville man said he was stabbed in the back during a fight with two other men early Saturday morning, said Sgt. Craig Stout, police spokesman.
James Richard Gustus, 48, of 655 N. Whitham Ave., Apt. 3, told police he was beaten and stabbed in the back by two men who drove up in a black SUV about 3 a.m., Stout said. Gustus said he had been outside getting firewood for a barbecue when the men stopped, told him to put down the firewood and then said they wanted to fight, Stout said.
Police were called about 5:24 a.m. Saturday, after the fight was over, according to dispatch logs. A woman told a dispatcher that her husband was stabbed during a fight with two unnamed neighbors, according to an incident report.
Gustus told police he was beaten and kicked, Stout said. Gustus said he tried to get back to his apartment but crawled through a ditch and into a culvert during the fight, Stout said.
Gustus described his assailants as two white men.
One man, age mid-30s to 40s and between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighed about 160 pounds and wore a black shirt with a logo and jeans. He had a beard and dark hair, Gustus told police, Stout said. The other man was 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall with dark hair, Stout said.
Stout said Gustus' injuries are not life-threatening. Gustus had a fractured rib, collapsed lung and a laceration of about 3 to 4 inches across his back, Stout said.
Gustus has been involved, as suspect or victim, in other incidents Fayetteville police investigated, including a domestic disturbance in 2010 and an assault in 2013, Stout said.
The stabbing remains under investigation, Stout said.
Rita Gustus, of 655 N. Whitham Ave., Apt. 3, called police again at 6:42 a.m. Saturday to say she thought she saw two men looking at the ditch where Gustus was stabbed, according to dispatch logs Saturday afternoon. The men were gone before police arrived, according to the dispatch report.
The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville plans to notify students about the incident because the location is near the university's campus, Stout said.
NW News on 01/25/2015