The man accused of slashing the throat of a taxi driver last month in Portland has been indicted on two charges related to the incident.
Justin Kristiansen, 30, of Portland was arrested shortly after he allegedly attacked taxi driver Joe Kamysz on May 5 while seated in the back of Kamysz’s cab near PT’s Showclub.
Kristiansen was indicted on one count of elevated aggravated assault, a Class A felony, and one count of criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, a misdemeanor, according to a grand jury indictment list released Friday by the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office.
After his arrest, Kristiansen told police he was angry after someone had called him a name, but did not say why he attacked Kamysz, a 60-year-old driver for 207 Taxi, according to police records. The taxi had picked Kristiansen up in another part of the city before heading to PT’s Showclub on Riverside Street.
According to court records, Kamysz said Kristiansen told him, “I’m going to cut you” as the cab approached the club, then cut Kamysz across the neck. As Kristiansen tried to cut his neck a second time, Kamysz said he put up his hand to block the knife and suffered cuts to the hand.
Kamysz said he accelerated as he pulled into the parking lot of the club, sending Kristiansen sprawling across the back seat. As he pulled to a stop, Kamsyz said, Kristiansen ran from the cab and Kamsyz sought help from club employees, one of whom is an emergency medical technician.
A grainy surveillance still photo from the club included in the case file shows several people standing in front of the entrance and someone running away from the cab.
Kristiansen eventually flagged down police from a nearby gas station to say that he had been stabbed. Police reports said he had a cut on his thumb that was bleeding and also had blood smeared on his face.
Kristiansen, who was released on $10,000 bail last month, did not enter a plea during his first court appearance on May 8.
If convicted on the felony charge, Kristiansen faces up to 30 years in prison.
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