kali9/iStock(HARTFORD, Conn.) — A 21-year-old college student in Hartford, Conn., is facing attempted murder charges after police say he stabbed two fellow classmates while rehearsing a scene from a movie as a class assignment.
University of Hartford student Jake Wascher was “acting out” a scene from a film when he allegedly began stabbing both victims at an on-campus apartment on Sunday afternoon, according to the Hartford Police Department.
Wascher then fled the apartment on foot and surrendered to a patrol officer without incident about two hours later near a wooded area, several hundred yards southeast of the university’s main campus, police said.
The two victims sustained serious stab wounds in their chests and backs, officials said. They were taken to a local hospital, where one was listed in serious but stable condition on Sunday. The other remained in critical condition in the hospital’s intensive care unit after undergoing surgery, police said.
Wascher, of San Diego, California, was being held on $1 million bail on Sunday night. He was expected to be arraigned Monday in Hartford Superior Court on two counts each of first-degree assault and criminal attempt to commit murder. It’s unclear whether he has retained an attorney.
University of Hartford spokesperson Mildred McNeill confirmed to ABC News that Wascher and the two victims are all students there.
“Our thoughts are with these students and their families during this difficult time,” McNeill said in a statement. “While there is no ongoing threat to campus, we recognize that this isolated incident is frightening and unsettling. The university will provide counseling services to members of our campus community in need of support or assistance. The university will continue to work closely with the Hartford Police Department in their ongoing investigation.”
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