Apple River stabbing trial: Tony Carlson in police interview said 'My ribs stopped the knife'
HUDSON, Wis. (FOX 9) - Anthony "Tony" Carlson's interview with police after the Apple River stabbing was played during court on Wednesday, marking the first police interview video played during Nicolae Miu's trial.
Apple River stabbing trial: Police interview with victim
Video was released of police interviewing Apple River stabbing vitim, Anthony Carlson. Carlson has had difficulty remembering things that happened during the confrontation. Prosecutors played this video to help refresh his memory and set the record straight.
Nicolae Miu, 54, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and multiple counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide that could send him to prison for life if he is convicted. He is accused of killing Stillwater, Minnesota, native 17-year-old Isaac Schuman and wounding four others — Dante Carlson, Tony Carlson, Ryhley Mattison and A.J. Martin — on July 30, 2022.
A photo of Anthony 'Tony' Carlson leaving the hospital after the Apple River stabbing. (FOX 9)
In the video, Carlson is being questioned by police outside the hospital. This video had not been seen before. It was played during the third day of the trial on Wednesday because Carlson had difficulty remembering things that happened during the confrontation on the Apple River on July 30, 2022.
READ MORE: Timeline of what happened
The interview includes Carlson discussing the confrontation and his injuries, stating "My ribs stopped the knife." Watch it in the player above.
Apple River stabbing: What happened
According to court records, the stabbing took place on the Apple River near the Sunrise Bridge in Somerset, Wisconsin, which allegedly started after Miu was apparently looking for a friend's cell phone in the river but was confronted by tubers who said he was acting sketchy.
The encounter escalated, and he apparently punched a female on the left side of her face before Miu was punched, eventually leading to the stabbing.
Witnesses began calling 911 at 3:47 p.m. on July 30, which indicated there were potentially four or five victims with wounds to the mid to upper body.
A 24-year-old woman from Burnsville, Minnesota, a 20-year-old and 22-year-old man from Luck, Wisconsin, and a 22-year-old man from Elk River, Minnesota, were injured in the attack. But, 17-year-old Schuman died from his injuries.
According to the criminal complaint, Miu claimed the attack was self-defense. He said he was "so fearful" for his safety, adding he wasn't sure what the people in the river were going to do to him, and "everything happened so fast."