Freshman, 19, arraigned for assault with intent to murder in Wayside stabbing
A 19-year-old freshman was arraigned on charges of assault with attempt to murder and carrying a dangerous weapon after a fight Saturday at Wayside Central that ended with three people recovering from stab wounds.
Octayvious Sanchez-Lewis, of Farmington Hills, appeared Monday, Feb. 24, in Isabella County Trial Court where he was charged with three counts of assault with intent to murder, which is a lifetime felony charge, and two counts of carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent. His bond was set at $850,000 by Judge Stuart Black.
Sanchez-Lewis was booked in Isabella County Jail at 4:13 a.m. Feb. 23 by Mount Pleasant Police Department. He is a freshman at Central Michigan University, CMU officials confirmed.
The 19-year-old is accused of stabbing three men during an altercation at Wayside Central, 2000 S. Mission St., on Saturday, Feb. 22. Mount Pleasant police were dispatched to the bar just before midnight.
Police reportedly arrived to find three men with stab wounds, according to a warrant affidavit. Two witnesses, who are listed as confidential in the affidavit, identified the suspect to police as "a light-skinned black man wearing a white sweatshirt." CMU police received a report from an on-campus residential hall of a man who entered wearing a white hooded sweatshirt covered in blood.
City police made contact with the suspect from the residential hall report, who identified himself as Sanchez-Lewis. The male suspect admitted to police that he was involved in an altercation at Wayside, where he used a knife to defend himself. The officer seized the knife, which reportedly had blood on it.
Sanchez-Lewis told police that three or four people "just started punching him and he had to defend himself." The 19-year-old complained of jaw pain, although police did not observe and visible injuries on him, according to the affidavit.
The knife police believe Sanchez-Lewis used is a 3-inch kitchen knife with a holding sheath, according to the affidavit. Police also seized a "thin blue razor blade-style utility knife" from Sanchez-Lewis' wallet.
A witness told police that Sanchez-Lewis called him Saturday evening and said he had been kicked out of Wayside and needed a ride. Sanchez-Lewis had been covered in blood, the witness said, and reportedly said he "did something bad." The witness overheard a phone call conversation between the suspect and his father, where he again said he had "done something bad."
Three people were sent to the hospital with injuries related to the fight. CMU officials confirmed that at least two of the victims are students and both were in stable condition on Sunday afternoon.
One man, according to the affidavit, reportedly had his abdomen "sliced open, and his internal organs were visibly hanging out." The man reportedly underwent surgery and was unable to give a statement to police.
Another injured man was cut in his scrotum and groin area, and had a laceration to his left eye. He told police that he had a verbal exchange with the suspect at Wayside, who reportedly told him, "You don't want to do that." He said he then saw a punch come at him and felt something sharp in his groin area.
The third man injured in the stabbing reportedly met Sanchez-Lewis that day and rode to Wayside with him. He told police he did not recall seeing Sanchez-Lewis in the altercation. The witness reportedly did not throw any punches or see any punches thrown, but was cut along his left wrist area. The tendons in his wrist were sliced and require surgery, according to the affidavit.
Sanchez-Lewis has no prior assault conduct convictions, but was involved in two verbal altercations on campus in December. The first, which was reported to CMU police on Dec. 6, 2019, involved a verbal altercation where Sanchez-Lewis was accused of threatening a woman that he would stab her.
The second incident, on Dec. 3, 2019, involved an incident where two people reported to CMU police that Sanchez-Lewis had threatened their families.
A probable cause conference for Sanchez-Lewis was set for 8:15 a.m. on March 5. He will appear again in court at 9 a.m. March 12 for a preliminary exam. The fight remains under investigation by city police. Mount Pleasant police were assisted at the stabbing incident by CMU Police Department, Michigan State Police, Isabella County Sheriff’s Department, Mobile Medical Response and the Mount Pleasant Fire Department.
