CARMEL, Ind. — Jarrett Funke, 24, faces multiple felony charges after allegedly stabbing two men during an argument sparked by a basketball rivalry between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers.
The incident happened on May 23 at Danny Boy Beer Works on Meeting House Road in Carmel, according to police.
The Incident
Funke reportedly became angry when he saw two men wearing Knicks gear during the Pacers game. According to his probable cause affidavit, he flipped one victim’s Knicks hat off and shouted profanities at them.
The victims told police they did not provoke Funke and that he began mocking one of them “for being a New York Knicks fan.”
After Funke was asked to leave the bar by staff, the victims went outside to smoke. Funke allegedly “stormed through the fence” and attacked one victim on the ground, with the other trying to calm him down.
Funke then stabbed one victim in the back and the other in the leg. Witnesses described Funke as the primary aggressor.
Conflicting Claims
Funke and the victims both said one victim had shown a pocketknife but was not planning to use it and put it away before the attack.
Funke claimed he was pushed and punched before drawing his own knife in self-defense. However, police say witness accounts contradict Funke’s story.
Legal Proceedings
Funke was charged with battery by means of a deadly weapon and criminal recklessness involving a deadly weapon. He appeared in Hamilton County court on Tuesday, with bail set at $20,000.
A pretrial hearing is scheduled for August 5, and the trial is set to begin on September 8.
