Police: Man charged with stabbing man in the back

Hours after he confronted an Allentown police officer with a knife on the middle of a city street, a 48-year-old man was charged with stabbing a man in the back, according to court records.

Christopher Oswald, of Allentown, was charged with aggravated assault on the stabbing and resisting arrest allegations, and disorderly conduct and public drunkenness in connection with the earlier incident. He was sent to Lehigh County Prison under $57,000 bail.

According to a criminal complaint:

Allentown police were dispatched at 9:50 p.m. Sunday to the 400 block of Chew Street on a report of a fight, and when they arrived, a large group of people dispersed. As officers walked away, someone yelled, “he has a knife.”

Officer Paul McAdams stopped his vehicle and could see a man, later identified as Oswald, coming from behind a vehicle. Oswald had a knife in his hand and was walking down the center of Chew Street toward the officer.

Oswald eventually dropped the knife, but kept walking toward the officer. While he was being detained, Oswald pulled away from police, and it took several officers to take him into custody.

A test showed that his blood alcohol level was 0.215%.

At 9:45 a.m. Monday, Allentown police were dispatched to a home in the 400 block of Chew Street for a reported stabbing. Police spoke to Jeramie Warren who said he was stabbed in the back by Oswald.

Other witnesses told police Oswald was involved in a fight and stabbed Warren.

It was unclear by court documents if Oswald was released after the first incident and returned to Chew Street to allegedly stab Warren.