Family Political Debate Turns Violent

COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. (CBS 3) ― The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office is investigating a politically motivated stabbing that left one in-law hospitalized and another in prison.

Authorities said brother-in-laws Jose Ortiz and Sean Shurelds were involved in a verbal altercation over Democratic presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton when the argument escalated into a stabbing inside their family home on Honeylocust Court in Collegeville.

Authorities said Ortiz, a registered Republican and Clinton supporter, allegedly stabbed Shurelds, an Obama supporter, in the stomach. Ortiz told police Shurelds began to choke him, so he grabbed a knife and stabbed him.

"Their verbal argument turned physical, one began choking the other, and then the victim of the choking took a kitchen knife and stabbed his brother-in-law in the stomach," Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman said.

According to the criminal complaint, Ortiz told police he initially placed the knife in the sink, before placing the knife in the dishwasher, where it was found by police.

Shurelds was flown to Hahnemann University Hospital and was listed in critical condition. He is expected to recover from his wounds.

Ortiz, 28, was jailed on $20,000 bail. He is facing charges of felony, aggravated assault, and other related offenses.

"It is a very serious charge, we see people fight over many things; some of them very frivolous, some of them serious, the fact of the matter is that this is the kind of argument that takes place in households across the region, across the state, across the country, but it never turns violent like this," Ferman said.

If convicted on the felony aggravated assault charge, Ortiz could face up to 20 years in prison. Ortiz has a court hearing scheduled for March 4.

I'm glad to hear the Obama supporter wasn't the aggressor ;).