Police have arrested a man for allegedly stabbing an off-duty police officer and a bartender outside a Gayborhood bar on Thursday.
Officers took 39-year-old William Johnson, of the 400 block of Morris Street, into custody just a few hours after identifying him as a suspect in the stabbing that took place around 11 p.m. outside The Venture Inn along the 200 block of S. Camac Street.
Johnson, who says he is diabetic, was found by police sleeping in park bushes at 11th and Pine Streets on Friday afternoon. He was charged at the Philadelphia Police Department's 6th District Headquarters before authorities transferred him to Hahnemann University Hospital for treatment.
The suspect told NBC10 that his ribs were broken during the struggle with the off-duty officer, identified as 49-year-old Francis Rafferty, Jr., and 40-year-old Thomas Martinez, the bartender.
"They beat the s--- out of me," Johnson told NBC10.com as he walked into the hospital. The man said he was just protecting himself.
Investigators say Johnson stabbed Rafferty, Jr. four times in the torso and leg with a hunting knife. He's also accused of stabbing the bartender, who police say is a friend of the officer, in the chin.
Both victims were taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for treatment. Martinez was released after receiving eight stitches.
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Rafferty, Jr., a 19-year-veteran of the force, remains in the hospital in stable condition. He is the son of former Philadelphia City Councilman Franny Rafferty.
Following treatment, Johnson was taken Philadelphia Police Headquarters, where he is awaiting arraignment.
