ST. LOUIS – A man stabbed a panhandler for using his “spot” Tuesday in St. Louis, police say.
The stabbing happened around 4 p.m. Tuesday near South Grand Boulevard and Gravois Avenue in south St. Louis.
Investigators say the victim, a 38-year-old man, was panhandling before an ‘enraged’ suspect approached him. The suspect reportedly pulled out a pocketknife and stabbed the victim in the bicep.
The suspect then took off in an older model SUV with an unknown driver. The victim was treated for injuries at a hospital.
St. Louis City has an ordinance through which aggressive begging, a form of panhandling, is considered a crime. It’s unclear whether the specific situation Tuesday police responded to was considered aggressive begging.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is handling the investigation.