UPDATED: 5:52 PM ET, Mon April 1, 2019
A student at the University of Hartford has been charged with attempted murder after stabbing two of his classmates during a re-enactment of a movie scene for a drama class, police say.
It was said that the three Connecticut students were working together on a group project Sunday afternoon inside a dorm when suddenly one of the members of the group took the assignment too far.
Jake Wascher, a student at the University, is now facing two counts of attempted murder and is now being held on $1 million bail.
They were acting out “a movie scene in which a person(s) gets stabbed, at which point (Wascher) began to stab both victims before fleeing on foot,” Hartford Police stated.
The Police did not cite which movie the students were trying to re-enact; however, The Hartford Courant reported it was “The Butterfly Effect,” a 2004 sci-fi thriller which starred Ashton Kutcher.
The two victims, both 19 and 21, were immediately transported to a local hospital with multiple stab wounds. The 19-year-old student suffered puncture wounds to his back and chest. He later underwent surgery and is currently in critical condition. The 21-year-old victim, who also suffered a puncture wound to his chest and four to his back, is currently in stable condition.
Wascher, 21, was soon arrested after being found two hours later in nearby woods of the campus in Connecticut’s capital city, police mentioned.
Hartford Superior Court states that Wascher did not have an attorney on file as of Monday.
Police also said Wascher is from the city of San Diego and was a commuter student. He also did not appear to have any visible injuries during his arrest, police say.
“While there is no ongoing threat to campus, we recognize that this isolated incident is frightening and unsettling,” the University of Hartford said Sunday in a statement. “The University will provide counseling services to members of our campus community in need of support or assistance.”
The university has declined further comments concerning the incident.