ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL) – Authorities said charges are still pending after a home invasion and stabbing incident on Blue Springs Road.
It happened Wednesday night in the 900 block of Blue Springs Road in Elizabethton.
The Carter County Sheriff’s Office said the homeowner went to the door of his house and was stabbed twice by a suspect identified as Justin Williams.
As of Wednesday, Williams was still in the hospital.
Homeowner Justin Thompson told News Channel 11’s Blake Lipton on Thursday that he doesn’t even know Williams.
“I wouldn’t have thought, first day in 2020, get stabbed in my living room and have to fight somebody,” he said.
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Thompson said he has lived at his home on Blue Springs Road for nearly 8 years.
Around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, he heard a knock at the door. His girlfriend, daughter and nephew were all home at the time.
“Soon as I opened the door, he stabbed me in the ribs and went to stab me in the chest and I turned with my left shoulder and blocked it and caught in the back shoulder and ended up being able to take him to the ground and get the knife out of his hand,” said Thompson.
According to a Carter County Sheriff’s Office report, his girlfriend also sustained a cut on her right arm.
At one point during the incident, Thompson instructed to his girlfriend to get a firearm, but the weapon she grabbed was not loaded.
Deputies arrived shortly after Thompson disarmed and subdued Williams.
The deputies tried to put Williams in handcuffs, but he would not comply and was physically resistant.
Williams received two to three strikes with a baton to his upper right leg near his thigh before complying with deputies.
Thompson said he went to the hospital, received staples for his wounds and was released just a few hours later.
“It’s crazy to say, I’m thankful it was me, someone that could fight back and get someone under control like that and not an elderly person or a stay-home mom by herself,” he said.
According to the Carter County Sheriff’s Office, deputies found Williams’ vehicle up the road with front end damage, including a broken windshield and busted front tires.
“He was extremely intoxicated,” said Carter County Sheriff Dexter Lunceford.
Williams was charged with a prior domestic violence offense in 2011.
Lunceford said Thompson’s ability to defend himself was crucial.
“We can’t put an officer on every street in the county, so when something like this happens, especially in a rural area, you’ve got to be able to take care of yourself for a short period of time,” he said.
Thompson said he will take a different approach when he is not expecting anyone and gets a knock on the door.
“Probably answering the door with a gun from now on,” he said.
Sheriff Lunceford said if someone you are not expecting knocks on your door, open the door about a foot and then put your foot against the bottom of it. He said that simple action can keep someone from getting inside.
