While local Ithaca residents were participating in the 26th Annual Chili Cook-Off March 2, a heated altercation ensued, resulting in a stabbing incident.
According to the media release from Ithaca Police Department Lieutenant Thomas Condzella, the police responded to a report of a disturbance at the 100 Block of West State Street, where multiple individuals were reportedly engaged in a physical altercation, one of whom was carrying a knife.
Law enforcement discovered at the scene that two of the three individuals implicated had already departed. The individual present had suffered a laceration to his face during the altercation. Bangs Ambulance Company and the Ithaca Fire Department initially responded to the injury and conveyed the individual to a nearby medical facility, where medical professionals determined that his injuries were not life-threatening.
According to the preliminary investigation, the individuals involved in the altercation appeared to have been acquainted with each other.
“This incident does not appear to be a random attack and that said, there is no larger public safety concern,” Condzella wrote in the press release.
The Ithaca Voice reported that Ithaca Police Chief Thomas Kelly, who attended the cook-off as a judge, said that the incident was unrelated to the event.
The identities of the two individuals who fled the scene remain unknown, as they were described only as two males wearing hooded sweatshirts. The Ithaca Police Department is urging anyone with information related to the incident to assist with the ongoing investigation.