A suspect in the early New Year’s Day stabbing in the 200 block of South College Avenue has been arrested according to the Bloomington Police Department. The victim reported being stabbed later after touching the suspect’s hair earlier in the evening.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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January 8, 2023
For more information, please contact:
Captain Ryan Pedigo
Bloomington Police Department
(812)349-3324
Bloomington Police Arrest Stabbing Suspect
Investigators with the Bloomington Police Department have continued the investigation into a stabbing that occurred in the early morning hours of January 1, 2023, in an alleyway in the 200 block of S College Avenue. The victim, a 32-year-old man, was able to provide detectives with further details of the event. The victim reported that at approximately 10:00 p.m. on December 31st, he was walking towards a bar in the 200 block of S College Avenue when he encountered the suspect. The victim reportedly asked the suspect if he could touch his hair, to which the suspect responded by telling him no. However, the victim stated that he touched the suspect’s hair anyway. The two men then had a brief verbal exchange and the victim stated that he apologized for touching the man’s hair after being told that he could not. The men then went their separate ways and the victim reported that he did not see the man again until a few hours later in the east/west alleyway in the 200 block of S College Avenue.
The victim reported that as he was walking west in the alleyway at approximately 1:20 a.m., he recognized the man approaching him as the man whose hair he had touched a few hours earlier. He said that as the man was walking past him, the man bumped into him and then continued walking. The victim immediately began feeling pain in his abdomen and lifted his shirt, where he observed a significant wound and realized that he had been stabbed. He then walked towards College Avenue and asked a bystander to contact 911 for him. The man that called 911 reported to officers that he had seen a man matching the description of the suspect walking eastbound in the alleyway holding a knife just prior to the victim asking for someone to call 911 because he had been stabbed.
Investigators reviewed security camera footage from the area and also from The Atlas Ballroom. The suspect was located on video prior to the stabbing inside The Atlas Ballroom and was immediately identified by name by an employee of the bar. The suspect, Ryan Johnson (36, Bloomington), was seen on video walking east in the alleyway just prior to the stabbing wearing the same clothing as described by the victim.
On January 7th, investigators were able to locate Johnson in a vehicle near the intersection of Country Club Drive and S Madison Street. Officers stopped the vehicle and Johnson was taken into custody without incident. Ryan Johnson was transported to the Bloomington Police Department for an interview, then later to the Monroe County Jail, where he was remanded for the following charges:
- Attempted Murder, level 1 felony
- Aggravated Battery, level 3 felony
- Battery with a Deadly Weapon, level 5 felony
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Under Indiana law, criminal charges are merely accusations and the defendant is
presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
A booking photo of Johnson may be obtained by contacting the Monroe County Jail.
Note: It was initially reported that the victim first interacted with the suspect inside a bar, which was later determined to be incorrect.
