Washington Daily News

Games cancelled after incident at Bobby Andrews Rec Center

A man was stabbed at a Washington Youth Basketball League game at the Bobby Andrews Rec Center on Seventh Street in Washington.

At around 5:30 p.m., a fight between two adult men broke out in between basketball games. Both men are fathers of children playing in the league, according to witnesses.

Two teams in the 8-9 year-old division, the Wolfpack and Ducks, were doing their pre-game warm up on the court, while two other teams, the Yellow Jackets and Bearcats, had just completed a game.

A witness described the fight as taking place just inside the gym entrance and blood pooled on the gym floor by the bleachers. Children were herded away from the area. A man was stabbed several times in the arm, and was standing in the gym until Washington EMS arrived at the scene and he was transported to Vidant-Beaufort Hospital.

Washington Police called to the scene found the suspect hiding between cars outside. The man was taken into custody and officers had located the weapon, a small folded knife with a blade approximately 1 1/2 to 2 inches long.

According to Lt. William Chrismon, spokesman for the Washington Police Department, Kofi Juma Rodgers, 35, of Sam Graddy Road, Washington, was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. Rodgers was placed in the Beaufort County Detention Center with a $5,000 bond pending appearances. The recreation center was closed for the night following the incident.