Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A Rochester man is facing two felony assault charges in connection with a knife attack that occurred outside of a Rochester hotel Wednesday night. 

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The criminal complaint filed in Olmsted County Court Friday accuses 33-year-old James Mentz of wielding a knife and attempting to run away with the keys to a vehicle the victim was sitting in. The victim told law enforcement he was waiting in the parking lot of the Guest House Inn and Suites while a woman with him was checking in when Mentz came up to the driver’s side door with a knife in his hand around 10:30 p.m. 

Olmsted County Court
Olmsted County Court
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The victim exited the passenger side of the vehicle as Mentz grabbed the keys from the ignition and went to the front of the vehicle to stop Mentz, according to the complaint. A struggle then ensued and Mentz cut the victim’s elbow, hand and a cut on part of his head. 

Olmsted County Court
Olmsted County Court
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The altercation ended when the victim wrestled the knife away from Mentz, causing Mentz to leave the scene in the vehicle he arrived in, the complaint states. The woman with the victim told investigators she did not see the altercation start but did see Mentz and the victim on the ground and saw the victim get cut by the knife. Mentz and the woman with the victim are known to each other, the complaint says. 

Olmsted County Court
Olmsted County Court
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Investigators spoke with Mentz by phone roughly 15 minutes after the incident. Mentz said he was on his Door Dash route when he spotted the vehicle and believed the man inside had drug paraphernalia.  He said the victim had a hatchet and knife on him and that no one was injured in the altercation. The complaint indicates officers found a knife at the scene but no hatchet or drug paraphernalia. 

Olmsted County Court
Olmsted County Court
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Mentz Was arraigned in Olmsted County Court on charges of  second-degree assault and fifth-degree assault. Court records indicate he is out on $2,000 conditional bail. His next court appearance is set for October 19.

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