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An innocent compliment about another man's shirt outside a West Valley City bar resulted in the complimenter being wounded with a knife and the attacker charged with aggravated assault.
The man was exiting the bar on May 23 when he complimented another man on the shirt he was wearing, according to charging documents filed Friday in 3rd District Court.
The defendant, a 32-year-old Kearns man, then exited the building, rushed at the man and asked the man what he had said about his friend's shirt.
The man stated that "he liked it," according to charges.
The defendant then "aggressively came up to [the man] with his hands clenched at his waist while bouncing back and forth and lunging" toward the man, charges state.
The defendant stated, "What you gonna do? You gonna hit me?"
The man later told police he felt he had to do something because the defendant was "acting crazy," so he hit him.
The defendant then tried to hit the man in the stomach. The man blocked the blow with his hand, then noticed his hand was numb, charges state.
The defendant then showed the man a folding pocket knife with a serrated edge, and the man noticed a large amount of blood spurting from his hand where he had been cut.
Medical records show the man required surgery to repair damage to muscles, nerves and tendons in his hand. The man told police that his doctor said he can expect to recover roughly 90 percent of the use of his hand, charges state.
A $25,000 warrant was issued for the defendant's arrest.