A man was stabbed in the neck outside of a State Street soup kitchen, and an arrest warrant is under review by the state for the individual who attacked him.
That stabbing took place on Sunday at around 3:49 p.m. outside of the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen at 266 State St. The stabbing victim, who was hospitalized after the attack, is now in stable condition.
DESK Executive Director Steve Werlin told the Independent that two individuals hanging out around the soup kitchen — New Haven’s primary center for homelessness support services downtown — got in a fight that afternoon which resulted in one man stabbing another in the neck with a box cutter before fleeing indoors to hide inside the building’s bathroom. Staff then called 911 and helped to administer first aid, according to Werlin. During that time, the man left the bathroom and ran away from the scene.
“It all escalated very quickly,” Werlin said. “I’m not sure how many people witnessed it.” He noted that staff are working with regular clients this week to provide mental health supports for those distressed by the violence.
Police Chief Karl Jacobson confirmed Monday that the State Attorney’s office is currently reviewing an arrest warrant for the case. Officers transported the attacked man to Yale-New Haven Hospital on Sunday for treatment of multiple stab wounds and he is now in stable condition. Detectives have collected surveillance footage of the incident and interviewed witnesses to determine what took place.
Werlin warned that Sunday’s stabbing was one outcome of “what happens when we don’t have enough housing.”
“People are in high stress situations. Homelessness is a high stress situation, and we see more incidents like this when there’s extreme weather like high heat or cold,” he said. “Frankly, we should expect more incidents that involve tensions boiling over if we don’t address the problem.”
Anyone with information about this incident can contact the New Haven Police Department Investigative Services Division at (203) 946‑6304 or the department’s anonymous tip-line at 866 – 888-TIPS (8477).
Why the delay in issuing the arrest warrant if the identity of the attacker is know, with witnesses and video confirming it? What's stopping this perpetrator from injuring or even killing other people? For safety's sake, it really seems this perpetrator should be taken off the streets asap!