By Danae Snell
SACRAMENTO — Defendant Khaled Abdullah, driving in Sacramento, allegedly stabbed another driver outside a downtown nightclub after the victim reportedly parked in an open parking spot, upsetting the defendant.
In Sacramento County Superior Court here Friday, there were differing accounts of the events leading up to the altercation, but the results of defendant Abdullah’s preliminary hearing led to a finding that he will stand trial in February.
The alleged victim informed one of the responding officers, Officer Hakeem Dyson, that he was going to park his car and a person came up to him telling him to move his vehicle. That person he was 
describing was the person that he said stabbed him.
“Then, that person (the defendant) attempted to come towards him and he (the victim) pushed the defendant after he approached him. Then, a physical altercation occurred and the defendant swung,” said the officer, referring to his report. He added that the victim was unaware of the weapon the defendant was holding.
During this altercation, the alleged victim claimed the defendant swung twice and the victim dodged the defendant before realizing he was bleeding.
Officer Dyson informed the court on September 25 that he observed the alleged victim bleeding “on his forearm and when the fire department went to render aid to his arm” he also “observed a laceration across his arm.”
Officer Dyson believed the laceration was approximately six inches long.
The alleged victim was not alone during this altercation, as one of his friends was also in the vehicle. Officer Scott Benton also took the stand to inform the court of the statements he received from the alleged victim’s friend, who stood witness to the whole incident.
According to the victim and the witness, no one was “backing up” the victim and he engaged in the altercation with the defendant alone.
This point was addressed after the defendant spoke out in court stating, “I am here in order to defend myself. I am not guilty, there were two individuals trying to attack me.”
The story revealed in the courtroom partially supported the defendant’s claim to the extent that this was only a verbal altercation until the victim “placed his hands on the defendant and pushed him.” This act led to the physical altercation and the assault with the knife.
However, surveillance from outside the nightclub didn’t support the defendant’s claim—which showed that only the victim and the defendant engaged in the altercation and there was not a third entity involved.
The surveillance photo also showed the altercation came to an immediate halt as soon as officers arrived at the scene. The victim “immediately approached the patrol vehicle at the same time I saw Abdullah walk in the other direction towards a drain grate in the street. He was over there for a few seconds before walking over,” according to Officer Benton.
After the scene was secured, officers looked inside the drain grate and “[t]here was a knife found inside.”
The testimonies of Officers Dyson and Benton established enough for Judge Kevin McCormick to find “sufficient cause to hold defendant Abdullah to answer for these charges.”
Defendant Abdullah will have an opportunity to show the court his side of the story by presenting relevant evidence at his trial on February 1, 2021.
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