A clash between two young men early Wednesday morning escalated when one stabbed the other as a group of teens gathered in Mt. Pleasant’s Millpond Park.
At least 10 young men and women between 17 and 19-years-old were together in the park on Adams Street before dawn when an argument between the two girls turned to physical blows, said Mt. Pleasant Police Public Information Officer Jeff Browne.
Witnesses told police that 19-year-old Baylee Ryan Evans, of Mt. Pleasant, punched one of the girls in the head.
A 17-year-old Rosebush boy in the group confronted Evans, offended that the 19-year-old had hit a girl, and the two engaged in a scuffle of their own, Browne said.
They separated, then Evans “Ripped off his shirt and re-engaged the victim,” Browne said.
The two fell to the ground during the fight and shortly after the 17-year-old stood up bleeding from his abdomen; he told the group Evans stabbed him during the brawl.
Police were called at about 4:15 a.m., and Evans left the park with one of the girls; the victim was transported to a Mt. Pleasant emergency room for treatment for multiple stab wounds on his legs and abdomen.
The 17-year-old was then transported to a different medical treatment facility and is listed in stable condition, Browne said.
A short investigation led police to a home in Union Township where they took Evans into custody before 6:30 a.m.
Investigators also recovered a fixed-blade hunting-style knife that is about four inches long that they believe is the weapon used in the assault, Browne said.
Evans is lodged in the Isabella County Jail on an arresting charge of assault with a dangerous weapon; he likely faces arraignment Wednesday.
The investigation is ongoing, one woman was arrested for a parole violation related to the incident, Browne said.
The MPPD was assisted by the Isabella County Sheriff’s Office, Mt. Pleasant Fire Department, Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Police, Mobile Medical Response and Isabella County Central Dispatch.