NORRISTOWN — A Norristown man who introduced a box cutter to what was a fistfight with another man, who was stabbed during the altercation, will spend several years in prison.
Jason Scott, 46, of the unit block of Zummo Way, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 2½ to 6 years in a state correctional facility after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of aggravated assault in connection with the fight that took place in the 800 block of DeKalb Street on Aug. 6, 2023.
Judge Steven T. O’Neill ordered Scott to have no contact with the man he stabbed with the box cutter. The judge also recommended that Scott be enrolled in drug and alcohol treatment programs while in state prison.
The investigation began about 2:41 a.m. Aug. 6, when Norristown police responded to Suburban Community Hospital for a report of a stabbing victim in the emergency room. The victim told police that he was stabbed with a box cutter during an altercation with an unknown male at a convenience store at DeKalb and Jacoby streets, according to the criminal complaint filed by Norristown Detective Joshua Samuels.
The victim required eight staples to treat a wound to his head and 32 stitches to his left arm as a result of multiple lacerations, according to court documents. The victim also sustained a fracture to his left hand.
During the investigation, police obtained video surveillance footage from the business that recorded the altercation and police observed blood on the sidewalk outside the business.
The victim, whose statement was supported by video surveillance footage, reported he went to the store after he finished work and parked his motorized scooter in front of the store. A man subsequently identified as Scott approached the victim and the pair had a conversation about a watch, according to court papers.
“The conversation between (the victim) and Scott eventually turns into an argument,” Samuels alleged, adding the pair engaged in a mutual combat fight inside the business that then spilled outside.
The victim told Scott he did not want to keep fighting and wanted to go home, detectives said. The victim retrieved his helmet from inside the store and as he attempted to leave the store Scott stood at the entrance, detectives said.
“(The victim) and Scott continue to argue back and forth and Scott is seen opening a blue handled box cutter, exposing the blade. With the box cutter in his right hand, Scott begins advancing towards (the victim),” alleged Samuels, referring to the video surveillance footage. “Scott then advances at (the victim), who is backed into the corner, and swings the knife at (the victim’s) body and torso area multiple times.”
Scott and the victim, who tried to fight back to defend himself, fell to the ground and Scott stabbed the victim’s left upper arm, detectives said. With the assistance of an unknown male witness, the victim was able to get up and leave the store and travel directly to the hospital, detectives said.
Court documents do not indicate when Scott was taken into custody.
With his guilty plea to aggravated assault, Scott admitted that he caused bodily injury with a deadly weapon.
Other charges of possessing an instrument of crime, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, engaging in fighting and harassment were dismissed against Scott in exchange for his guilty plea to the most serious aggravated assault charge.
Assistant District Attorney Caitlin Faith O’Malley handled the case. Defense lawyer Francis M. Walsh represented Scott during the court proceedings.
