O'FALLON, Mo. — A man is accused of stabbing two people during a fight Saturday afternoon outside an O'Fallon laundromat.
St. Charles County prosecutors charged Jose Barrera with two counts each of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the stabbing of his neighbor and the neighbor's brother.
The incident happened at about 2:15 p.m. on the parking lot of Highland Laundry & Cleaners on the 300 block of Sonderen Street.
According to a probable cause statement, Barrera pulled a pocketknife from his sock before walking into the laundromat. He approached his neighbor and started an argument that stemmed from a dispute between the two the day before. When the victim walked toward the laundromat's front door with his back turned, Barerra punched him in the head, police said.
The man swung his arm at Barrera to avoid a fight and ran out the front doors of the building. That's when Barrera went after him onto the laundromat parking lot and stabbed him in the back, police said. The victim's brother tried to intervene and help but was stabbed in the back as well.
Barrera and other people who were with him got into his car and drove off.
O'Fallon police were called to the laundromat and provided first aid until the brothers were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
Police quickly received a description of Barrera and the car he drove away in following the stabbing. They pulled Barrera over during a traffic stop shortly after and arrested him.
Officers found the pocketknife used in the incident inside Barrera's car. Three other people were also inside the car, including Barrera's brother, who identified him as the suspect.
Surveillance video from the laundromat captured the incident in addition to witnesses' corroboration. Barrera also admitted to his role in the incident during an interview with investigators.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a detainer for Barrera because he was an undocumented immigrant who entered the U.S. illegally through Eagle Pass, Texas, in 2021. A detainer is placed on those who have been arrested on criminal charges and can be removed from the country, according to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
Witnesses who knew Barrera also told police that Barrera allegedly killed people with a machete while in Honduras.
A judge ordered Barrera to be held on a $500,000 cash-only bond.