A Newport woman swung a knife at a man during a late-night argument over a video game system, slashing at him in the apartment hallway as captured on surveillance video, according to charges.
Tyria Patrice Hollis, 35, faces a charge of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon in Washington County District Court.
According to the complaint, deputies responded to an apartment in Newport at about 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, after a caller reported hearing a man yell “Don’t stab me” and “Drop the knife.” Dispatchers advised that the man also called 911 and reported that a woman had tried to stab him.
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When deputies arrived, they spoke with the victim, who said he and Hollis had argued earlier that day because Hollis was upset about the purchase of a new video game system instead of paying the internet bill. The victim told officers that Hollis took his phone from his hand, hit him in the face with it and threw it down the hallway. He said Hollis then grabbed a kitchen knife and began swinging it at him while he was sitting on the couch.
The victim described struggling with Hollis inside the apartment and into the hallway as she tried to stab him. He said he was eventually able to get the knife away from her. Hollis then went back into the apartment and said she was going to get her firearm and kill herself. The victim described the knife as a five-inch-long straight blade with a chunk missing from the handle. He told deputies he may have been cut during the struggle.
Deputies observed a red line or scratches on the victim’s right bicep. They reviewed hallway surveillance video, which showed Hollis swinging and slashing the knife toward the victim in the apartment doorway.
During the investigation, deputies learned that the victim had created a three-way call between himself, a woman identified as his sister and Hollis. The sister told deputies she heard Hollis yelling at the victim and specifically recalled Hollis saying, “I already stabbed you with a key before, what is a knife? You think I won’t do it with a knife?”
Deputies arrested Hollis at the scene. She denied assaulting the victim and claimed there had only been a verbal argument with no physical altercation.
The charge of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon alleges that Hollis used a knife to threaten or attempt to harm the victim during the altercation.
The charge was filed Friday, September 4. A court date has not yet been set.
About This Charge
Minnesota classifies assault by degree under § 609.221 (first), § 609.222 (second), § 609.223 (third), § 609.2231 (fourth) and § 609.224 (fifth). First-degree assault, alleging great bodily harm, carries up to 20 years in prison. The lower degrees range from misdemeanor up to 10-year felony exposure depending on weapon use and harm.
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Jurisdictional Context
Washington County, on the eastern edge of the Twin Cities metro, is served by the Washington County Attorney’s Office through the Tenth Judicial District. Felony cases are heard at the Washington County Government Center in Stillwater.
