Man accused of stabbing victim with 3-foot sword in West Central

A 44-year-old Spokane man is accused of stabbing a man in the chest with a roughly 3-foot sword last week in West Central Spokane.

Thomas B. Torngren was arrested Thursday on suspicion of first-degree assault.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed Friday in Spokane County Superior Court, the victim told police “8-Ball,” or Torngren, accused the victim the night of June 8 of taking his portable wireless speaker from the residence where they were both staying on Spofford Avenue, which the victim denied. The victim said in the court documents that Torngren found his speaker and the dispute ended.

The next morning, Torngren again accused the victim of taking his speaker, according to the affidavit. The victim told police an argument started and Torngren threw a punch toward the victim but he dodged it. The victim, an experienced fighter, started punching Torngren in the body and “beat him up pretty badly,” the victim told police.

The victim said in the affidavit he later apologized to Torngren, and that another verbal argument started. The victim said he then fell asleep downstairs and he awoke about three hours later to Torngren nudging him and saying, “I don’t forgive you.”

Torngren then stabbed the victim one time with what the victim described as a Katana sword, documents said.

The landlord, who lives in an upstairs bedroom of the Spofford residence, and another male helped the victim into a vehicle and drove him to the hospital, the landlord told police.

The stab wound, which was about the size of a 50-cent piece, was on the right side of the victim’s torso, officers said in the affidavit. Hospital staff told police the victim was immediately sent to the operating room and that he had a lacerated liver.

Police and SWAT officers later responded to the Spofford address, where they determined Torngren was armed and barricaded on the property, documents said. Torngren exited a white travel trailer in the backyard and was taken into custody.

A detective said in the affidavit he found a “full length sword” with a black handle in the trailer Torngren left.

Torngren remained in jail Tuesday night with a $500,000 bond. He is scheduled for an arraignment Tuesday in front of Spokane County Superior Court Judge Tony Hazel.