Richfield Man Charged With Beating, Cutting Woman With Box Cutter

A Richfield man has been charged with beating a woman and injuring her with a box cutter.

Duane Lee Washington, 49, is charged with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, a felony with a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and a $14,000 fine. The charge has a mandatory minimum penalty of one year and one day in prison and a $4,200 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, signed by Detective Patrick Moriarty, police were called to a medical emergency near East 72nd Street and 17th Avenue South about 9 p.m. July 11.

Police found a woman bleeding from cuts on her arm, which she said were self-inflicted, according to the complaint. Officers asked her about bruises and cuts on her upper body, and the woman said Washington, with whom she has a child, assaulted her with a box cutter and beat her.

The woman told police that they had argued about an upcoming court appearance the night before, and Washington had beaten her. She said she began cutting herself with a box cutter “out of frustration,” according to the complaint.

The woman said Washington grabbed her from behind with one hand on her forehead, holding a box cutter in the other hand, which he used to cut her neck. He allegedly told the woman, “You keep playing me, and I’m going to [expletive] kill you,” the complaint charges.

Police found Washington at his home in the 7100 block of Cedar Avenue, and also noticed a trail of blood leading to his apartment door. According to the complaint, there was a “significant” amount of blood on the floor of the apartment, along with a bloody box cutter.

Washington remains in the Hennepin County Jail on a $40,000 bond. An omnibus hearing in his case is scheduled Aug. 22 in Hennepin County District Court.