CARMEL, Ind. — A Carmel man has been charged after he reportedly stabbed two New York Knicks fans at a brewery during Game 2 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals earlier this month.
According to court documents filed on Tuesday in Hamilton County, 24-year-old Jarrett Funke has been charged with:
- One count of battery by means of a deadly weapon, a Level 5 felony
- One count of battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 5 felony
- One count of criminal recklessness committed with a deadly weapon, a Level 6 felony
Officers with the Carmel Police Department were called to a brewery on the evening of May 23 on a reported disturbance. That evening, the Indiana Pacers were facing the New York Knicks in Game 2 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals, a game that the Pacers won 114-109 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Initially, police were called because of an alleged fight involving a man, later identified as Jarrett Funke. However, once Funke left the brewery, the caller stated that police did not need to respond.
Minutes later, an employee of the brewery called police, stating that Funke had reportedly returned to the brewery’s patio. The caller stated that Funke reportedly stabbed a man in the back and was attempting to leave.
When police arrived, they found two individuals with wounds. The court documents said that one had a stab wound in the back while the other had a laceration in his lower leg.
In interviews with the two victims, they alleged that Funke approached them at the bar. Funke reportedly “smacked” the Knicks hat off of one of the victims onto the ground. Funke was then reportedly taken outside as he yelled “f— you, you still have a f—— problem. Take this outside.” to the two individuals.
Around five minutes later, the two Knicks fans were outside on the patio when Funke reportedly “stormed through the fence” of the brewery and began attacking the two individuals. One of the victims told police that he “briefly displayed a black folding pocket knife to deter (Funke) but repocketed it, as he had no intention of using it.”
A verbal altercation reportedly evolved into a physical one, ending with the two victims being allegedly stabbed by Funke. In an interview with Funke, he reportedly told police that the two Knicks fans were “talking s—” and claimed that they were the ones who began the altercation.
Funke claims that one of the Knicks fans pushed him to the ground and “began punching him in the face.” The documents said that Funke claims that he “retrieved his pocketknife from his hoodie and swung it around towards (one of the Knicks fans) back with his right hand.”
However, the documents said that there were multiple witnesses who stated that Funke was the “primary aggressor in this incident.”
According to court documents, Funke’s initial hearing is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in Hamilton County.
As of this story’s publication, the Indiana Pacers lead the NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks 2-1, with Game 4 scheduled for 8 p.m. on Tuesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.
