Pa. college student charged in stabbing; says self-defense

INDIANA, Pa. (AP) — A student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania has been charged with stabbing another man, which the suspect’s defense attorney contends was self-defense.

Defense attorney Robert Muir says his client, 21-year-old William Rivera, is withdrawing from school and will live with his parents in Reston, Va., while the charges filed today play out.

Police in Indiana, a borough about 45 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, say Rivera was in the passenger seat of a car when he slashed and stabbed 21-year-old Giovanni Brown, about 5:45 p.m. Sunday.

Brown remained in fair condition at a Pittsburgh hospital today. Brown hasn’t been charged with a crime, but Muir says Brown “assaulted” Rivera who was “in a situation in which he was trying to protect himself.”

Rivera faces a preliminary hearing Oct. 2.