Rolling Meadows man arrested in 'Robin Hood' stabbing

Colorado police say they arrested a Rolling Meadows man after he confessed to accidentally stabbing a University of Colorado student at a party where they were wrestling and re-enacting the movie "Robin Hood: Men in Tights."

Leo J. Beitz, 20, of the 4700 block of Kenilworth Drive in Rolling Meadows, was arrested Oct. 3 on suspicion of first-degree assault.

A Boulder, Colo., police report released Friday said they learned of the incident when the college student arrived at the hospital with stab wounds to his abdomen and groin. The victim told police a man stabbed him, unprovoked, while attending a party, but he did not wish to pursue any charges. The victim eventually told police it was Beitz who stabbed him. The student required surgery to stop the bleeding after doctors determined he had suffered "serious bodily injury", according to the police report.

Police said they then went to the home where the party was and had to subdue Beitz with a Taser after finding him and another person at the party covered with blood.

In a subsequent interview with police, Beitz said he had two shots of alcohol and 10 beers during the party, police said. Beitz was in town visiting a childhood friend. During the party, Beitz became upset that his friend was paying more attention to his new roommates than to him.

The party involved drinking, playing video games and playful wrestling. Beitz told police the stabbing occurred while everyone was "pretending like the movie 'Robin Hood: Men in Tights'" that involved Beitz waving an actual knife like a sword, the report said. Beitz told police after pretending, he went outside to smoke a cigarette, placed the knife in his back pocket and forgot about it, police said.

Later in the party, Beitz began wrestling with someone at the party when a third person jumped on him from behind and the knife accidentally stabbed the playful attacker, police said. Beitz told police he also suffered a cut on his right hand when removing the knife from his pocket and slamming it into a kitchen counter, police said. The report indicates police did not find Beitz's explanation to be valid.

"Leo was unable to provide a reasonable explanation about the stabbing or about how his hand was cut," reads the police report.

Beitz was then jailed while the investigation continued.

Witnesses later told police Beitz stabbed the student as the "result of a stupid argument that got out of hand." At some point during the drinking, wrestling and playing of video games, Beitz became uncontrollably mad, witnesses said. Witnesses then saw Beitz take a knife from the kitchen, and they later learned the student had been stabbed. No one said they actually saw Beitz stab the student.

Police eventually located a large cleaver with suspected blood on the handle and blade and an 8-inch carving knife on a desk in a bedroom that also had what appeared to be blood on it.

Police also found marijuana and pipes for smoking it at the home.