Update: Robbery cited in downtown Asheville stabbing

ASHEVILLE — Robbery has been cited as the motive in a Wednesday stabbing altercation in which three people were injured on Church Street in downtown Asheville, police said in a report on Thursday.

One person suffered stab wounds and one a head wound after being hit, but neither had injuries that were described as life threatening, Asheville Police Department Sgt. Sean Aardema said. Both were transported to Mission Hospital. A third person was injured in the incident but not taken to the hospital, spokeswoman Christina Hallingse said.

The victim who suffered the stab wounds is a 40-year-old Asheville resident who suffered severe lacerations, according to a report released Thursday.

The incident started on Church Street near Foggy Mountain Brew Pub and one person "wound up in Pritchard Park," Aardema said. Both areas were being investigated and closed off with crime scene tape around 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Hallingse said it was not a random incident, but couldn't say if or how the people knew each other. Aardema described the three as "definitely acquaintances." No charges were filed.

"It was not a random stabbing," Hallingse said. "They were having an altercation prior to the stabbing."

Hallingse said the investigation is ongoing and she could not provide additional information.

Owner of the Foggy Mountain Samantha Rink was inside the bar at the time of the incident. She said one man came in saying his wallet had been stolen, with a gash to his head she described as "gushing." The other had apparently been stabbed and ran up Patton Avenue, she said.

She speculated the two involved might be homeless, saying they "seemed like people who hang out in Pritchard Park."

"It took us by surprise," said Aaron Putnam, a regular at the bar, which is less than a block off Patton Avenue. He said it didn't seem like the person was dangerous, but "all of us at the bar kind of freaked out."

"It seemed like a really isolated incident," he said.