The girl kicked the SUV, so Casper, a teenager, allegedly stabbed her with a machete-style knife

CASPER – A 17-year-old girl stabbed another 17-year-old girl in the stomach with a machete-style knife on Halloween after police say the victim kicked the other’s SUV.

Casper police said the attack happened in a north side parking lot and involved a large gathering of teenagers, marijuana and alcohol.

Gabriella Kathleen Altman appeared in Casper District Court he will be charged with aggravated assault and battery on Friday. Judge Kevin Tagheri set bail at $100,000 cash or surety.

Court documents made available Monday show the incident happened after about 20 vehicles and people in their teens and 20s gathered in the parking lot of the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center on the north side of town on Halloween night.

One witness told police that some people were in different groups of friends near the vehicles, while others were mingling between groups while others stayed in their cars.

Altman was at a meeting with a friend and “designated driver” and agreed to give another 17-year-old friend a ride home in the family’s red Dodge Durango. Arrest affidavits state that as they tried to leave the premises shortly before 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 31, people gathered behind them, including the 17-year-old stabbing victim.

The victim, identified as “WW”, told police that when the car was in reverse, it almost hit others who were gathering behind and she “kicked the car” to “let them know she was there”.

Altman, known as “Bella,” then got out of the passenger side of the car and pulled out a long, machete-style knife with a black and red blade.

Police said she stabbed the victim in the stomach. The victim grabbed the knife and cut all four fingers on her left hand while trying to pull it out, the affidavit said.

Alcohol and marijuana

During the interview with the police, Altman said that she used and smoked marijuana.

“Bella advised that she drank shots of Pink Whitney vodka and smoked marijuana from a pipe,” the affidavit states. “Detectives could smell an alcoholic beverage coming from Bella’s person.”

Altman told police she wanted to leave at 9:15 p.m., and her 17-year-old friend, identified by police as “AL,” was driving. She said her friend was backing away slowly because there were several people around the Durango talking. She said she yelled from inside the car for people to move, the affidavit said.

The victim hit the passenger-side rear door of the pickup truck with the front, the affidavit said.

Altman told police she became angry and got out of the car with a machete, which she held with her right hand toward the victim. She told police she asked the victim why she kicked the SUV.

“Bella stated that she reached forward, causing the tip of the knife to enter (the victim’s) abdomen approximately 1.5 inches deep,” the affidavit states. “Bella took her hand back and quickly walked the short distance back to the Durango. Bella told (the driver) to go. As they drove away, Bella says she started crying.’

Altman told police she did not remember much of the “dialogue” with the victim. She also told them that she was scared after the stabbing because she was currently involved in the court system for underage drinking.

Emergency surgery

The victim was taken to Banner Wyoming Medical Center and suffered a “deep abdominal laceration” that required emergency surgery to repair the abdominal wall, the affidavit states.

The victim will potentially need additional surgeries, the affidavit said.

Police stopped the Durango shortly after the incident and recovered a knife with a bloody blade.

The 17-year-old female driver of the Durango, “AL,” told police she was the “designated sober driver” and that she was trying to be careful while pulling out of a parking space when she heard the crash. She moved forward and Bella jumped out with a knife she was holding in the center of the SUV.

“After a very short period of time, Bella ran back to the car screaming, ‘Go, go, go,'” she told police. She said Altman began giving her directions, mumbling and crying, saying she was “sorry she did that,” the affidavit said.

The affidavit also includes interviews with six other witnesses, ages 18 to 22, who were in the parking lot at the time of the incident. A 20-year-old man told police the Durango nearly hit the victim

The charge of aggravated assault and battery carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The stabbing is the latest in a string of gun violence involving young people and teenagers in Casper this year.

Dale Killingback can be reached at the address [email protected].