Man arrested for slashing incident

A man was arrested Monday night after allegedly cutting the face of a Bloomington man.

Jay Koerner, 20, faces preliminary charges of battery with a deadly weapon.

Police were dispatched at about 9 p.m. to the 1400 block of 12th Street after receiving a 911 hang-up call, said BPD Cpt. Joe Qualters, reading from a police report. When they arrived at the scene, they saw five people gathered in the roadway, including the victim.

The 32-year-old man had a large amount of blood on his upper torso and told officers he had been stabbed. He identified Koerner as the man who had stabbed him. Koerner had fled the scene but was located by officers in a nearby apartment.

The man was transported to Bloomington Hospital and treated with four stitches for a laceration across his left cheek.

While at the hospital, the man also said he and Koerner had been friends for about two to three years.

Prior to the incident, Koerner and his girlfriend had become involved in a verbal argument inside his apartment and had asked everyone present, including Hudson, to leave. The victim then asked Koerner to calm down, and they become involved in a verbal argument and moved outside.

After arguing, they hugged, but when the victim backed away, he noticed his face felt sore and there was a large amount of blood on his left cheek. Koerner also told his girlfriend when he went back inside he had “slit his throat,” according to the police report.

Koerner was booked at the Monroe County jail. A black-handled kitchen knife with a three- to four-inch blade was later found.