Somerset County Man Involved In Stabbing Over Family Dispute

By Michelle Sahn

Two men were attacked at knifepoint in New Brunswick this weekend because of an ongoing family dispute, police said.

In that case, a New Brunswick man was stabbed in the back and abdomen, while a Woodbridge resident was stabbed in the chest, police said.

Police arrested two men on attempted murder charges, and they are searching for two other attackers, according to a news release from Capt. J.T. Miller.

And in an unrelated case that occurred a couple of hours later, a New Brunswick man was slashed during an argument, police said.

An arrest was also made in that case, according to Miller.

According to the news release:

The first occurred around 12:45 a.m. near Joyce Kilmer Avenue and Redmond Street and was the result of an ongoing family dispute.

Brian Powell Jr., 28, of New Brunswick was stabbed in the back and abdomen, and Brandon Hutchinson, 21, of the Fords section of Woodbridge, was stabbed in the chest.

One of the defendants, Alexander Buchman, 19, of Somerset, received minor cuts to various parts of his body.

Powell has been involved in an ongoing dispute with his cousin, Lamar Boyd, 21, of New Brunswick.

Police determined Boyd, Buchman, and two other people attacked Powell and Hutchinson.

Boyd was arrested by New Brunswick police officers as he fled from the scene and tried to get into a parked vehicle. He had blood on his clothes and a knife was recovered nearby.

Buchman was arrested at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in the city, where he and the two victims were treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Boyd and Buchman were charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. New Brunswick detectives are pursuing leads on the other two attackers.

The second incident occurred around 3 a.m. near Central Avenue and Louis Street.

In that case, Khalil Howard, 20, of Hi-Nella in Camden County, was cut across the shoulder when he was attacked by Myles Sonii, 18, of Franklin Park.

Police believe the two men got into an argument, then Sonii pulled out a knife and slashed Howard’s shoulder.

Sonii was arrested at the scene and charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Anyone with information on either incident is asked to call New Brunswick Detective Brandon Epstein at (732) 745-5217.