BURLINGTON, Vt. -
A Burlington man doing his laundry this morning was stabbed in the arm by a complete stranger... and Police say it was over a tattoo.
First responders rushed the victim to the hospital, but police say he's going to be fine. The suspect on the other hand fled the scene and was arrested about an hour later.
Ten o'clock Monday morning, a 28-year old man was doing laundry at the laundromat on the corner of North and Murray Streets in Burlington.
"I just heard a bunch of yelling," Neighbor, Billy Jo Latulippe said.
According to police, all of the yelling was over a tattoo. Police haven't said what it looks like, but we do know it was on the mans neck. Police say when 43 year old Chaty Register saw it, he felt disrespected, and stabbed the victim through the arm.
"The suspect, he's around here all of the time with his girlfriend," Latulippe added.
Latulippe lives directly across the street from the laundromat and heard the commotion.
"His arm was all bandaged up when they took him out and put him into the ambulance," Latulippe said.
The victim was taken to the hospital while the search began for the man with the knife. Police found Register an hour later, hiding in an apartment on Front Street. Police questioned neighbors and searched a nearby home. They also blocked off the entrance to the laundromat for a few hours. Even though police say "It's not a daily occurrence," Burlington Police Chief Mike Schirling said. Neighbors anxiously looked on and say North Street is far too often the victim of crime.
"Fights and arguing and just a lot of cops coming on North Street, it's really scary," Latulippe said.
Police initially thought that they had found the weapon, but it was actually just an unclaimed knife unrelated to the stabbing that was lying in the grass. Chaty Register is being held on $15,000 bail and will be in court Tuesday morning.
