An employee of a Chelsea strip club is accused of stabbing a patron after an argument inside the establishment.
Jody Lassiter, 49, of Everett pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Monday, according to the Suffolk district attorney’s office. He was charged with armed assault with intent to murder.
Police responded to King Arthur’s Lounge just after midnight May 15 and found a 33-year-old Somerville man suffering from stab wounds. He was stabbed 10 times in the head, neck, shoulder and chest, authorities said.
“The victim’s injuries were so severe that Chelsea police notified the Suffolk County State Police Detective Unit, which has jurisdiction over homicides in that city,” the Suffolk district attorney’s office said in a statement.
The man was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital in critical condition. He survived the attack, but spent five days in the hospital.
When Chelsea officers arrived at the scene they learned the man was ejected from the club because he was “visibly drunk and belligerent.”
Detectives later developed evidence that suggested Lassiter, a floor man at the club, argued with the man inside when the victim arrived from another bar. When the man was ejected, police believe Lassiter clocked out and followed him.
Once outside, the two men got into a fight and that’s when the stabbing occurred, authorities said.
Lassiter is due back in court next month.
