Man gets 3 to 6 years in prison for stabbing two people in racially motivated attack downtown

A man accused of stabbing two black people in downtown Pittsburgh last year in a racially motivated attack will serve at least three years in prison.

Chris Boswell, 38, pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of ethnic intimidation, two counts of aggravated assault and possession of a weapon following the attack at Sixth Avenue and Smithfield Street on April 13, 2023.

Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Bruce Beemer ordered Boswell to serve three to six years in prison as part of a plea deal followed by seven years of probation.

He called Boswell's crimes “heinous.”

“It’s a mindset and a course of action that you engaged in that day that is extremely troubling,” Beemer said. “I hope you understand that you could spend a lot more time in prison.”

Police were called to the intersection of Sixth Avenue at Smithfield Street for a man walking around with a knife and attempting to stab people just before 11 p.m.

As officers searched for the suspect, they were flagged down by a black man who said he had been stabbed in the left arm by a white man carrying a backpack.

The man's arm was bleeding profusely and the police applied a tourniquet to him.

They were then approached by another black man who said he had been stabbed in the leg. The victim had a deep wound to his left thigh.

Both men were transported to local hospitals in stable condition.

When officers approached Boswell, they said he was uncooperative. When he was handcuffed, according to the criminal complaint, officers found a knife sheath on his right hip. They also found an ivory-handled folding knife with blood on the blade about 4 feet away.

When officers spoke to Boswell, who declined to give his name, he said, “I was told to kill all the black people,” the complaint states.

Boswell later made other comments, including using racial epithets and admitting that he had stabbed the victims.

When officers put Boswell in the patrol car, he kicked them several times and broke an officer's watch, according to the complaint.

When Boswell was taken to the Allegheny County Jail, police said, he asked if there were a lot of black people there and replied, “'I'm going to kill them all.' »

At Tuesday's sentencing hearing, defense attorney William Kaczynski said his client was very drunk the night of the stabbing.

Earlier that night, the attorney said, Boswell was accosted and his wallet was stolen.

He also had a long history of mental illness.

Now, Kaczynski said, Boswell is on medication and his behavior in prison has been good.

“He also expressed remorse to me,” the lawyer said. “He understands that this is a situation in which he lost control.”

Boswell has an extensive criminal history, including arrests for domestic violence, obstruction, resisting arrest and driving under the influence.