A 33-year-old Centralia man has been airlifted to a St. Louis hospital for treatment of a stab wound to under his left arm during a brief early Thursday morning encounter on the Huck’s parking lot at South Poplar and Calumet.
Two witnesses say a suspect, described as a black male wearing a white hoodie, successfully fled on foot southeast across the parking lot before disappearing.
Centralia Police Lieutenant Steve Whritenour says video surveillance is being reviewed to try and learn more about the suspect and what led up to the stabbing. No weapon has been recovered.
The alleged victim was first taken to SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital. Whritenour says police were able to talk to him there. He said he didn’t know who had stabbed him. Officers noted during questioning the alleged victim was having difficulty breathing and was on oxygen.
The incident was reported at 2:57 Thursday morning. The first officer on the scene worked to stop the victim’s bleeding until Centralia City Firemen and Lifestar Ambulance crews arrived.
