ALEXANDRIA, Minn. -- A 49-year-old Minneapolis man was charged here Monday for stabbing another man during a dispute involving an iguana, according to authorities.
About 2:50 p.m., police officers were called to a report of dispute over property, including a fish tank with a pet iguana in it.
While officers were on their way to the scene, the situation escalated and a fight broke out.
When officers arrived, they discovered that Wade Burnside, 19, Alexandria had been stabbed in the chest with a 12-inch knife while trying to retrieve the iguana. He was accompanied by two of his male friends.
Burnside was rushed to Douglas County Hospital in Alexandria and later airlifted to Hennepin County Medical Center for his stab wounds.
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On Monday, John Leslie Anderson, 49, was charged in Douglas County District Court with one count of first-degree assault and one count of second-degree assault.
According to police, Anderson was a guest of a 33-year-old woman who lived at the residence and was present during the assault.
Anderson reportedly told police that he picked up the knife with the intention of scaring the other men into leaving the fish tank alone. He said he never meant to hurt anyone.
As of Tuesday morning, Burnside remained in Hennepin County Medical Center and is listed in satisfactory condition.
Edenloff is a reporter at the Alexandria Echo Press, which is owned by Forum Communications Co.
