Rochester Man Admits to Stabbing and Slashing Two Men
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Rochester man is scheduled to be sentenced in early January for stabbing and seriously wounding two men earlier this year.
31-year-old Aaron Swedberg today entered guilty pleas to 2 counts of 2nd-degree assault. A 3rd-degree assault charge was dropped as a result of the plea agreement with Olmsted County prosecutors.
Police reports say Swedberg was part of a group of people who had gathered to socialize at a residence in the 300 block of 6th Avenue Southeast before heading downtown on the night of June 1st. At some point, what started out as joking banter escalated into a fight between Swedberg and another man.
Following the physical altercation, the other man went to Swedberg's apartment in an attempt to mend fences but police say Swedberg greeted his knock at the door by charging at him with a knife and stabbing the 27-year-old man in the chest. A 26-year-old man suffered a serious slash wound on his arm when he tried to pull the stabbing victim out of danger.
Officials say the man stabbed in the chest became unresponsive while he was being transported to St. Mary's hospital but recovered after undergoing emergency surgery. Police reported the second victim ran to a nearby convenience store where someone applied a tourniquet to his wounded arm, which a witness said was "spurting blood like a sprinkler."
Swedberg was located in his apartment in possession of a knife covered with blood.