Argument between roommates leads to stabbing, brief standoff, police say

A simmering dispute culminated in a stabbing at a southeast Wichita apartment Monday morning, authorities said.

The stabbing was reported at about 6 a.m. at Longfellow Apartments, 1212 S. Longfellow, a Sedgwick County dispatcher said. That’s north of Harry and west of Rock Road.

Residents called 911 at about 1 a.m. to report neighbors fighting rather loudly, Lt. James Espinoza said. Officers who went to the address talked to a 30-year-old man who was uncooperative and struck a police officer.

He was arrested and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail, Espinoza said. When he was released from jail at about 6 a.m., the 30-year-old man returned to the apartment to get his belongings and his dog. The argument began again and the arrested man’s roommate, 29, stabbed him once in the leg.

Police were called again, Espinoza said, at which time the 29-year-old refused to come out of the apartment. A SWAT team was called out to the scene and residents of surrounding apartments were evacuated as a precaution.

Officers had information that there were “several knives” in the apartment, Espinoza said, which was why they exercised caution in confronting the suspect. The man eventually came out of the apartment at 8:47 a.m. and was arrested.

The 30-year-old man was taken to Wesley Medical Center for treatment and released.

This story was originally published September 15, 2014 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Argument between roommates leads to stabbing, brief standoff, police say."